Sometimes I sit down to a meal and I'm just not hungry. And then my parents say, "You've got to eat!" What I want to know is how come?

Signed,
Not hungry

Dear Not hungry:

You may not be hungry -- for no particular reason -- or you may not be hungry because you snuck in a snack too close to dinner. But, don't worry, sooner or later, your body is going to be telling you that your body needs more energy. Picture a car running without gasoline, that's you without food or drink.

Your body is a glorious (and sometimes stinky) machine, and it needs raw materials to give you the energy to think and move as well as repair and maintain your body, and grow. Think of that 100 or so pounds of food, and 50 or so pounds of drink you're like to consume each month. Know what happens to it? A lot of it turns into you!

Signed,

Wendell