What was Sai Baba's deeper philosophy on food, beyond just being against fasting?

Sai Baba's philosophy on food was profound, viewing it as essential for spiritual life. Chapter 32 explains his principle was to 'first tie bread to the waist' before engaging in spiritual contemplation, because without nourishment, the soul cannot find peace and God cannot be realized. He taught that at the peak of hunger, one experiences the 'realization of food as Brahman,' elevating the act of eating to a divine experience. The source material further states that all senses need the strength given by food to be able to perform devotion to God. This philosophy is powerfully summarized in the teaching that 'Food and the eater are Vishnu's form,' indicating that both the nourishment and the one partaking in it are manifestations of the divine.