If humans can go weeks without eating, why do we eat 3 times a day?

Question

If humans can go weeks without eating, why do we eat 3 times a day?

In: 4549

Answer 1

Humans can go weeks without eating… by digesting your muscles and burning them for energy.

To really “ELI5” it: This question is kind of like asking “If you can burn your furniture and then the walls for heat, why do we pay for natural gas heating?”

The answer is “well you *can*, and it may save your life in an emergency, but it’s by no means a good, healthy, or optimal way when other options are possible.”