Hunger is the body’s call for nutritional sustenance.
The Infinite within us knows just what the body needs to maintain optimal health. When the body is calling for sustenance, it is calling for the replacement of energy extracted from the nutrients contained in food.
In a nutshell, our physical energy is derived from the sun. The closer our food source is to the energy of the sun, the better it is for us. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, preferably in their raw state, are the optimum dietary components. They all derive their energy directly from the sun.
Meat, on the other hand is derived from animals who eat vegetation. So essentially, when we eat meat, we’re getting our primal “sun energy” second hand. The body desires food that is palatable, thus making it easier to consume the food we need.
Water must also be replaced. So when we are thirsty, the body requires clean, pure water. Essentially, real hunger and thirst are the body’s call for what it actually needs.
Appetite is the body’s call for what it wants. It operates out of feelings, not out of necessity. When we are satisfying our appetite, we often do it whether we’re hungry or not. We usually ignore the body’s intelligent call for nutritional sustenance and listen instead to the appetite’s call for something that tastes really good to us.
In ancient Chinese medicine, it is said that the body needs to get five different tastes addressed: sweet, sour, salty, pungent and bitter. Most of us usually like to restrict our intake to salty and sweet. When the other three are ignored, imbalance is the eventual result.
This mindset is also true for satisfying our thirst. Pure water is tasteless. It is just wet and refreshing. Wet and refreshing doesn’t satisfy our appetite however. We often want sweet and sometimes even bubbly. Both are okay sometimes if the sweet and bubbly comes from natural sources.
Fresh squeezed fruit juice is a perfect example. It is naturally sweet and frothy (because the fruit is still alive and breathing). Soda, on the other hand is artificially colored, sweetened with sugar and the bubbles are added (CO2 is injected into it). The resulting mixture detracts from rather than adds to our health.
Addiction is the surrender of one’s will to the appetites. There are many types of addiction. One can be addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, violence or food. All of these addictions have “pushers,” people or business establishments dedicated to supplying the cravings associated with these various addictions. For our purposes, we will discuss only food addiction and the pushers who feed it.
From the time a baby begins to eat, the addiction process begins. Foods laden with sugar, salt and fats are introduced and encouraged. Most baby food contains an ample amount of these three substances. By the time the child has teeth, he/she is often already eating what the adults are eating…food with an abundance of salt, sugar and fat. The food industry has made a science of adding these three substances to almost everything we eat, especially when we are consuming processed foods.
“The End of Overeating,” is a compelling book written by David Kessler, a Harvard trained doctor, lawyer, medical school dean and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. In it, Kessler outlines a startling theory. He states that food high in fat, salt and sugar alter the brain’s chemistry in ways that compel people to overeat. In other words overeating has been shown to be more about what’s happening in the brain than in the body. Instead of satisfying hunger, foods bathed in salt, fat and sugar will stimulate the diner’s brain to crave more. This, in addition to processing food to the degree that it requires far less chewing, encourages the consumer to eat much more than they would ordinarily want.
It appears that these foods stimulate the brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center. Sound familiar? Once the food is eaten, the brain releases opioids, which bring about emotional relief. Together, dopamine and opioids create a pathway that can activate every time a person even thinks of a particular food. This can occur whether the person is hungry or not. As in other addictions, it is necessary to recondition the brain to do what’s right, regardless of how strong the craving. In this culture of instant gratification and fast food, rewiring the brain’s response is a tall order.
A public outcry is necessary. The food industry is consumer driven and will respond to the demands of the public. The public, on the other hand, must be educated and reconditioned. We must get away from the notion that eating is a recreational sport.
We must begin to treat our bodies with the same attention to detail that we treat our vehicles. The thought of pouring just anything into the gas tank or other reservoirs would be too ridiculous for most of us to contemplate. Yet we think nothing of turning our bodies into a virtual garbage can.
If people were on a steady diet of healthy, unadulterated and nutritious foods, the medical establishment would be able to focus the bulk of its resources on preventive care. This could eventually result in a huge reduction in the cost of health care. Worker productivity would be increased. Even some of the behavioral problems and inability of students to focus in school would be significantly reduced. It seems like a no-brainer to me.
Addictions, however, fight for the right to survive and thrive. Only the addicted can deny that right by exercising power and dominion over the addiction. We have the power now. It’s the power to choose and initiate. It’s our Divine right
Alim Gaynor is the founder and CEO of the Seedpod Empower-ment Institute. For questions and comments call 769-798-5247 or E-Mail alimgaynor@yahoo.com
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