As a student of nutrition, food is always at the forefront of my mind. It's the topic of my classes and the subject of most of my homework, not to mention the normal cravings and thoughts of food I experience each day. As would be expected, the overall exposure to food during my school day heightens these normal food cravings I have. In addition to this, I'm a very "orally-fixated" person to begin with. I like to have something in my mouth at all times, be it a pen or gum, and I need to eat those chips in front of me simply because they're there. These things are all related to a feeling of security for me. My desire for food can be attributed to the same reason that Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher deemed her desire for it: "Food, security, and love are all entwined so that we can't think of one without the others" (Fisher 353). Food, for me, is a pleasurable experience that evokes these feelings of security and even love. It's a necessity, a hobby, and a routine all in one. There is even scientific evidence for the connection between food and emotions. The hypothalamus, which regulates our feelings of hunger and satiety, has neural connections with the limbic system, the center for emotions. This is why different emotional states affect hunger, appetite, and satiety.
There are the nutritional needs for food as well, at the very base of why I desire food. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that our basic and physical needs must be met before our emotional ones can even be realized, such as our reasons for desiring
