Why Eating with Purpose Leads to a Happier, Healthier Life

My body was falling apart when I was first introduced to health and wellness. I had lost control of just about every aspect of my life. Addiction? Check. Sleep issues? Yup. Hygiene problems? Definitely. Career and relationship problems? You name it. Everything was crumbling, and it all felt utterly hopeless. That’s when I discovered something that changed everything: purpose.

See, problems don’t come with built-in solutions—if they did, we wouldn’t call them problems in the first place. And when you’re staring down a laundry list of problems, it can be hard to muster up hope. But honestly? Hope isn’t always the most functional vehicle. You know what is? Purpose.

A plate full of nutrition that serves a clear purpose.

Why Eating with Purpose Leads to a Happier, Healthier Life

The Spider That Saved My Life

Purpose is something I can wrap my head around. I remember learning early on that everything in nature has a purpose. Like when I tried to smash a spider in class and my teacher said, “If we killed all the spiders, mosquitos might take over the world.” That trade-off? Not worth it. And that simple idea stuck with me.

So when my problems became physical—like, 6-beers-a-night and greasy-bar-food kind of physical—I started to connect the dots. I was inflamed, hypertensive, borderline pre-diabetic. My girlfriend used to wake me up at night thinking I’d stopped breathing. It was bad. Now? I sleep like a baby, not a snore in sight—and I didn’t do anything fancy. Just good ol’ fashioned Healthier Happy Human living. I was baffled until I learned why eating with purpose leads to a happier, healthier life.

Purpose Over Pizza Cravings

When I fixated on how much I missed beer and pizza, guess what happened? I got hungry. Then thirsty. Then bam—I’d fall headfirst into a pile of cheesy, boozy ecstasy. So instead of thinking about the food, I started thinking about the purpose behind the food.

Honestly, I still eat pizza. When it serves a purpose. (And I might order one right now because... well, it’s been a while.)

But thinking about purpose brings me back to what I call “the center.” And from your center, you find everything you need—if you can just get out of your own way. Our first instincts? Just chemical/electrical reactions. Totally unreliable. That’s why I always pause when they hit. Because in that pause, I can shift and listen to a deeper voice—the one that actually knows what’s up.

Anxiety as a Messenger

That deeper voice? I didn’t used to hear it. Why? Because when your body thinks it’s not going to get what it wants, it panics. Cue survival mode. Cue anxiety. Cue the fiery madness that leads to impulsive choices—or worse, a full-blown spiral. Especially in addiction, that loop gets intense.

So I’ve learned to love anxiety. It’s a flare signal. A moment to pause and refocus. To ask: What is this food really for? What am I actually aiming at right now?

If it’s not aligned with what I need to do, it won’t satisfy me anyway. Purpose changes everything.

The Orange That Saved My Race

Here’s an Ironman example. I was 18 miles into the run—farthest I’d ever run in a race. I wanted to go the whole way without walking, something I’d never done before. But I bonked. Hard. My body gave up. And my brain spiraled: I should just quit. Maybe I should kill myself after this. Yeah, it got dark. Fast.

That’s how intense those moments get. But somewhere in the fog, I realized: These thoughts aren’t me. They’re just the result of this insane effort I’m putting in. Like a bad trip, or an anxiety wave.

And then… I saw oranges.

I had never eaten an orange in a race before. But I just knew—in my gut—that I needed it. I sucked on oranges the rest of the way, and they brought me back to life. That orange had purpose. It was exactly what I needed.

From Drive-Thrus to Ironman Finish Lines

Back in the early days, I lived on McDonald’s and fried chicken. No shame—just facts. Two double quarter pounders, fries, a McChicken. That was lunch.

But once I started training, I injured my ankle due to inflammation. I’d made a commitment to a community—raising money for troubled youth. I had to keep going.

So I started cooking.

That patience—waiting for the meal, preparing it with care—it became a new high. A new connection to life. I began researching every ingredient. If I felt melancholy, I’d add mustard seed. Too hot? Cool it with cucumber. And if something on a label didn’t serve a purpose, I didn’t buy it.

Guess what? My ankle healed. And I went on to complete six years of glorious Ironman triathlons—all because I began eating with purpose.

Food as Fuel, Love, and Language

Now, food is a compass. It’s fuel for the life I want to live as a Healthier Happy Human. When you eat with intention, your body responds differently. Even digestion changes. Did you know visualizing the purpose of your food can calm your nervous system? It’s like you’re telling your body, Hey, this is a gift.

And if you’re like I was—addicted to grease, out of sync with your taste buds—here’s the trick: you’ve got to romance the food a little. Chew it slowly. Breathe it in. Pretend you love it until, eventually, you do. Trust me. Everyone falls in love with food when it’s serving a purpose.

So maybe it's time for you to give it a try.

Purposeful eating. The Healthier Happy Human way.