most people in the states actually think they're going to die immediately if they skip a meal, let alone two.
the "never don't eat, for any reason, ever--or you will DIE" mindset is one of the things we're most force-fed from birth onwards.
it's becase if you skip a meal, that's money that wasn't spent. if everyone skipped a meal, that's a lot of money that wasn't spent. we can't have that in capitalism. therefore, eat abundantly and often. it doesn't matter what, as long as it's something you bought