Life and food are intertwined. It is the first and most basic aspect of our lives that we imprint on. From the day of conception till the day we die food has a very central part in our existence. Without it life in our bodies would not begin or exist. Food is so vital, that just as the gift of life, it too has obtained a place in our consciousness as absolutely valuable and important to our very existence.
This consciousness that gives food such an elevated status, whether we think so or not, has to do with early life. When we are conceived our newly formed cells are nourished by it’s “yolk” until it is developed and can be feed via the placenta. Therefore we are born with an innate dependence for nourishment.
When we are born we find out that lack of food causes pain. This is why a hungry baby is a screaming baby (truth is always found in innocence). And this is where imprinting affects our entire view of food as life progresses. The first two years of life has a profound effect on the rest of our lives. The first years are the foundation which has a lasting effect on all life. We should, therefore ,be careful how we treat those years because once they take hold the effects cannot be suppressed.
So, we love food primarily because it makes us feel good. This is a fact. People who do not feel pleasure from food would not eat as much and would starve. Just sustaining life would not be enough to keep food in the number one spot in our lives. For example, we know that it is better to eat fruits and vegetables for a healthy long life but do most people change their eating habits just because of that fact. No, taste and other feel good factors play a greater role.
Other factors that play a role in making food ultimate in our lives is presentation and social feel good factors. From childhood we are taught that food is a happy occasion which is easily instilled in the mind of a child because he has already imprinted food with feeling satisfied and content.
Parents make every occasion and celebration a time to bring out the best foods. This is a time to be free, to eat as much as you want and whatever you want. It seems that the best of food comes out on happy occasions. Food is further instilled in the mind of a child as a happy thought when chocolates, sweets and confectionery are given on Christmas, Valentines, Easter, etc. Good food and treats are therefore associated with what humans crave the most, Love. Children therefore imprint good food,love and unconstrained living with food (daily eating although it satisfies a need for sustenance is always surrounded but rules and etiquette).
Presentation of food has now become an art form. Smell and taste, although they are what created our first love for food, has been joined by presentation; presentation is becoming as much of a factor. With media like magazines,TV and the Internet presentation has become a very powerful tool in invoking the senses in its continual indulgence in food. By just looking at any of the fancy dishes they are creating today can cause even the most reverent of monks to break his vows. Temptation is the very reason why monks and the like seclude themselves. And the food industry is taking advantage of that to the highest degree.
Resisting food is not in us. We need it to maintain life and most of all it has been groomed into our lives as an irresistible feel good priority of life.