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Why we eat and breathe By David Wojick |May 22nd, 2022 Spring and summer is the time of growth, with blossoms everywhere we look. Leaves and fruit on the trees, grass in the yard and pastures, vegetables in the garden, crops in the field. Did you know that all of this lush abundance is almost entirely composed of just two things? These are carbon dioxide and water. There are tiny bits of other stuff but basically it is all carbon dioxide and water. This is the true miracle of life. Every living thing we see is made from air and water. So are we. Have you ever wondered why we eat and breathe? Here is how it works, the miracle of life. We eat and breathe because the cells that make up our body eat and breathe. All cells eat and breathe. Yes, plants inhale and exhale just as we do. They also consume food and water. Our breathing and eating actually go together. We are part of what is called the carbon cycle, which is the cycle of life. Plants come first, then us. The plants use sunlight to convert the carbon dioxide and water into big organic molecules. These molecules are circulated to every cell in the plant’s body, where they do two things. If the plant is growing then some become the building materials for that growth. In any case they are also combined with oxygen to release the energy that came from the sun. All living cells need energy to live. The plants basically eat the carbon dioxide and water, while breathing in the oxygen. When the organic molecules combine with the oxygen to produce energy, the byproduct is carbon dioxide and water, which is then exhaled. We are back where we started so this completes the cycle. Carbon dioxide + water –> life –> carbon dioxide + water. When we eat the plants, or animals that ate the plants, we join and lengthen the cycle. Our digestive system converts the food molecules into organic molecules that we can
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