How many of you actually listen to your body when you are hungry? How many of you just eat whatever is closest, whatever tastes good, whatever you normally eat at that time of day?
A lot of people think I am a bit weird when I say this, but I can usually tell what I am hungry for. Over the years I’ve listened to my body, until I know “I am hungry for protein.” “I am hungry for carbs” “I am hungry for fat.” “I really need some vegetables now.”
I can know when a sugar fix is something my body is calling for, and when I am just cramming it in
because it tastes good.
And I can tell when a certain type of food, or too much of something, leaves me feeling stuffed, sleepy, stressed. I ignore it at my own discomfort.
But I don’t think most people listen to their bodies that closely.
Otherwise, how do we explain the amount of people we see who are overfed and yet undernourished around us.
I ran across a quote about starvation when rereading 1632 by Eric Flint this weekend, that I think applies to our obesity problem today:
Dr. James Nichols: “The truth is, it’s not actually that easy to starve to death. The biggest problem with a low-calorie diet is that it weakens people, and it’s usually deficient in vitamins and minerals. Leaves you wide open for disease.
“Fortunately, while we’re getting very low on food and medicine and antibiotics, the town’s pharmacies and supermarkets still have a big stock of vitamins and minerals. We’re going to establish a rigorous program of dietary supplements. That should get us through this first winter.” He made a face. “Not that we won’t be getting sick of gruel and porridge.”
I think we have the same problems that people who are starving to death are having. The biggest problem of a low-calorie diet is deficiencies that weaken people. We have high calorie diets that are still deficient, and are still weakening people. Thus our epidemics of other diseases. It is starvation in a land of plenty. It just doesn’t look like starvation, because everyone has plenty to eat, they just aren’t eating what they need.
It is too easy to eat just for taste, not to feel hunger the way we are meant to feel hunger, and thus to be sated the way we are meant to be when that hunger is satisfied.
At The Rainbow 