The connection between clothing and personality

¶ … Eat

The human condition requires us to consume other living or inanimate objects in order to continue with our lives. This basic and simple habit of eating begins as a newborn as we eat what our parents feed us. The purpose of this essay is illustrate the phrase " you are what you eat," and look at the philosophical meanings of eating and consuming foods. This essay will explore different aspects of food consumption, the state of human being and how these ideas relate to each other and literally feed off one another.

Defining Terms

Before examining the phrase in depth, it is necessary to define the terms within the phrase in order to give some sort of scope or boundary to fit in this conversation. In order to know what you are, it is required to take a step back and look at what "isness" is. Being appears almost impossible to define without using non-being as a contrast. We are because we are and that is about as good as any argument contemplating this deep aspect of the human experience can reach. Knowing why we are and have come to existence is yet another matter that needs to be understood but not necessarily expressed.

Eating also has to be defined. What exactly is eating? To me eating is consuming things through the mouth with the intention to use that object as a source of energy, fuel or emotion. Food is what human eat. Food varies from culture to culture. Some cultures do not eat cows, some do not eat pigs while other eat anything and everything.

The final word that needs to be addressed is the word "you." This word is used so often its meaning is often overlooked and taken for granted. The word "you" suggests that this object is an entity capable of making its own rational decisions and is operating in a self-serving mode. Even though a "you" can help and serve others, it must be understood that everything that is done by an individual is done and selected by that independent person acting as a rationale being in order to sustain a way of life that meets the standards of that person's principles.

Beyond Nutrition

When someone proclaims "you are what you eat," this may certainly apply to the nutritional value of the source of food one is consuming. But what is nutrition? Nutrition is the ac t of nurturing and healing oneself in order to feel better about life. Eating nutritious foods usually implies that the food one is eating has long-term healthy effects on the consumer. If this is true, nutrition is life giving and should make one feel better if they consistently are eating nutritious foods.

The selection of food choices in today's society presents many problems. Scientists and researchers seem to be in a constant battle between what is health or not. One day a certain type of fat is good for you, the next it might not be due to the findings of a newly published report. Diet also changes throughout one's life as well making food a constantly changing variable that is always moving towards some new position. While mother's milk may be appropriate and healthy for a young baby, a middle aged man could not live on this food alone. Nutrition must be viewed not as a constant, but as a relative term that may describe one's position and age in life and experience.

A Broader Understanding of the Saying

The saying of focus in this essay may also bring about other forms of interpretation. "Eating" could be interpreted as consuming in general. In this sense of the word every action or inaction that one might perform is an act of eating or consuming. If this context of the saying is used, a new and more general understanding of this saying becomes more evident. In other words we are what we choose to be.