What is the meaning behind the teaching that 'food is Brahman' when one is hungry?

The teaching of "food as Brahman" is presented in Chapter 32 as a profound realization that arises from the intense experience of hunger. The text describes a very difficult time, specifically the afternoon, when hunger can be so severe that "the lower earth seems to rise up." It is in this state of extreme need, when the body's senses are failing and one forgets all skills, that the mind truly grasps the divine and fundamental importance of food, realizing it as Brahman. This isn't just a philosophical idea but a visceral understanding that sustenance is the ultimate reality upon which all other functions, including spiritual ones, depend.