This is only the start.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been asking a simple question:
Why do we eat?
Not what the textbooks say. Not what nutrition experts say. What ordinary people actually believe.
The responses were fascinating.
Most people said we eat for energy. Many also mentioned enjoyment, social connection, comfort and habit. Few people spoke about vitamins, minerals, fibre or the countless other roles food plays in keeping us healthy.
One of the strongest findings was around sugar.
Almost everyone recognised that sugar provides a quick boost in energy followed by a crash. Yet many people also admitted that when their energy drops, they still reach for sugary snacks, caffeine or other quick fixes.
Another pattern appeared repeatedly.
The majority of people reported an energy slump during the afternoon, often between 2pm and 4pm. Different jobs. Different ages. Different lifestyles. Yet the same pattern emerged.
Perhaps the most striking result was this:
Almost nobody believed food manufacturers prioritise health over profit.
Many respondents talked about marketing, convenience foods, processed ingredients and products designed to keep us buying more. Yet despite this lack of trust, many of us still rely on the very products we question when we need a boost of energy.
That contradiction is what interests me most.
The aim of this survey wasn’t to prove anyone right or wrong. It was to explore the beliefs we hold about food, energy and health, and to start conversations around the choices we make every day.
I’ve recorded a short video sharing some of the findings and drawing the winners of the Amazon voucher prize draw.
Over the coming weeks I’ll be exploring some of the beliefs, contradictions and habits revealed by the survey, particularly around energy, sugar, hunger, snacking and how modern food marketing shapes our decisions.
I’m curious.
If you had to answer the question today, why do you eat?