Eating is often made into a social occasion.

Soldiers having lunch during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In general terms, eating (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming nutrition, i. e. food, for the purpose of providing for the nutritional needs of an animal, particularly their energy requirements and to grow. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision to cells and Organisms of the materials necessary (in the form of food to support Food energy is the amount of Energy in food that is available through Digestion. All animals must eat other organisms in order to survive: carnivores eat other animals, herbivores eat plants, and omnivores consume a mixture of both. A carnivore (ˈkɑrnɪvɔər meaning 'meat eater' ( Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour' is any animal with a diet consisting Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Omnivores (from Latin omne all everything vorare to devour are species that eat both Plants and Animals as their primary

While the process of eating varies from species to species, in humans eating is performed by placing food in the mouth, chewing and then swallowing it. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the Alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up Swallowing, known scientifically as deglutition is the process in the human or animal body that makes something pass from the Mouth, to the Pharynx, into Eaten food is then digested. Digestion is the breaking down of chemicals in the body into a form that can be absorbed

Manners are an important aspect of social eating in almost all human societies. In Sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which show the actor to be Cultured Polite, and refined

Eating practices

Many homes have a separate kitchen room or outside (in the tropics) kitchen area devoted to preparation of meals and food, and many also have a dining room or another designated area for eating. For the Banana Yashimoto novel see Kitchen (novel A kitchen, is a room or part of a room (sometimes called "kitchen For the coarsely ground flour see Flour. A meal is an instance of Eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes A dining room is a room for consuming food In modern times it is usually adjacent to the Kitchen for convenience in serving although in Medieval times Dishware, silverware, drinkware for eating and cookware and other implements for cooking come in an almost infinite array of forms and sizes. Drinkware or beverageware is a general term for the class of vessels from which people drink "Saucepan" redirects here In Australia "the Saucepan" is sometimes used as an unofficial name for part of the constellation of Pavo, when finding the Most societies also have restaurants and food vendors, so that people may eat when away from home, lack the time to prepare food, or wish to use eating as a social occasion. A restaurant is a retail establishment that serves prepared Food to Customers. Occasionally, such as at potlucks and food festivals, eating is in fact the primary purpose of the social gathering. A potluck is a gathering of people where each person is expected to bring a dish of food to be shared among the group A food festival is a Festival, usually held annually that uses Food, often Produce, as its central theme.

Most-people's meals set-up

Most individuals have fairly regular meals, formally known as daily patterns of eating, and commonly most eating occurs during two to three meals per day, with snacks consisting of smaller amounts of food being consumed in between. A snack food (commonly called a snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main Meal of the day – Breakfast Some nutritionists (eg BCM) however propose not to take any snacks, yet advocate the taking of 3 meals/day (of some 600 kcal per meal) with 4-6 hours recess in between ^[1]. Having three well-balanced meals (thus 1/2th half of the plate with vegetables ^[2], 1/4th protein food as meat, . . . and 1/4th carbohydrates as pasta, rice, . . . ) will then account to some 1800-2000 kcal; which is the average requirement for a regular person. ^[3]

General make-up of a plate

The issue of healthy eating has long been an important concern to individuals and cultures. A healthy diet is one that is arrived at with the intent of improving or maintaining optimal Health. Among other practices, fasting, dieting, and vegetarianism are all techniques employed by individuals and encouraged by societies to increase longevity and health. Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all Food, Drink, or both for a period of time Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea Some religions promote vegetarianism, considering it wrong to consume animals. Leading nutritionists believe that instead of indulging oneself in three large meals each day, it is much healthier and easier on the metabolism to eat five smaller meals each day (e. g. better digestion, easier on the lower intestine to deposit wastes; whereas larger meals are tougher on the digestive tract and may call for the use of laxatives). Laxatives (or purgatives) are foods compounds or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool most often taken to treat Constipation. However, psychiatrists with Yale Medical School have found that people who suffer from Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and consume three meals per day weigh less than those who have more frequent meals. Eating can also be a way of making money (see competitive eating). Competitive eating is an event wherein participants consume large quantities of food in a short time period typically 15 minutes or less and the eater of the most food receives Pie and sometimes cheese eating contests are one of these competitions. Sometimes people eat on picnics with family or friends. In contemporary usage picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a Meal is eaten outdoors ( Al fresco or En plein air

It is an urban legend that eating fast will make you fat. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them Studies has disproved the theory that the body cannot keep up with the pace of the food going into the digestive tract, and thus will store the food that it cannot process as fats or energy stores. This is unscientific, as all food that enters via the mouth must pass through the entire digestive system and be broken down into simpler, usable forms that the body can make use of. However, since it takes time (up to 30 minutes) for the brain to get a signal from stomach that it is full, eating fast may cause someone to eat more thereby consuming more calories than if they ate slower, leading to weight gain.

Disorders

Main article: Eating disorder

Physiologically, eating is generally triggered by hunger, but there are numerous physical and psychological conditions that can affect appetite and disrupt normal eating patterns. An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat or avoid eating that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health Hunger is a feeling experienced usually followed by a desire to Eat. These include depression, food allergies, ingestion of certain chemicals, bulimia, anorexia nervosa, pituitary gland misfunction and other endocrine problems, and numerous other illnesses and eating disorders. Major depressive disorder, also known as major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder, clinical depression, or simply depression Allergy is a disorder of the Immune system often also referred to as Atopy. Bulimia nervosa is an Eating disorder characterized by recurrent Binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors referred to as "purging" Anorexia Nervosa is a psychiatric Diagnosis that describes an Eating disorder characterized by low Body weight and Body image distortion The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an Endocrine gland about the size of a Pea. The endocrine system is an integrated system of small organs that involve the release of extracellular signaling molecules known as Hormones The endocrine system is instrumental Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health or ail) can be defined as a state of poor Health. An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat or avoid eating that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health

A chronic lack of nutritious food can cause various illnesses, and will eventually lead to starvation. Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision to cells and Organisms of the materials necessary (in the form of food to support Starvation (also called inanition) is a severe reduction in Vitamin, Nutrient, and Energy intake and is the most extreme form of When this happens in a locality on a massive scale it is considered a famine. A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any Faunal species which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional Malnutrition, Starvation

If eating and drinking is not possible, as is often the case when recovering from surgery, alternatives are enteral nutrition and parenteral nutrition. Drinking is the act of consuming a liquid through the mouth Water, for example is required for many of life's physiological processes and excess or decreased water intake Surgery (from the χειρουργική cheirourgikē, via chirurgiae meaning "hand work" is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental In Pharmacology and Toxicology, a route Total Parenteral nutrition (TPN is the practice of feeding a person Intravenously bypassing the usual process of Eating and Digestion.

See also

• Aphagia
• Competitive eating
• Dietary supplement
• Dieting
• Food
• Nutrition

References