Food Choices: What Does Your Body Really Want?

But I Want It! ... and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. 

I hear them all the time. Whenever I discuss eating well with people, they often come back at me with some sort of justification for doing the exact opposite...

“I can eat anything I want, as long as it is in moderation.”

“I just burned 350 calories at the gym so I can go to McDonalds if I want.”

The truth is what your body actually wants is good food. It is your brain that connects unhealthy eating with some sort of reward or indulgence. Most of us have been trained, programmed even, from a young age, to associate sugary sweets for example with a “treat,” while healthy food is associated with obligation or responsibility.  You can picture the finger wagging, we all can, because we all have been given the message that eating healthy is some sort of “duty” to our bodies. 

That is simply not correct.  Our true nature is to eat healthy and well. 

Check out this study done in the 1930s, where a researcher named Clara Davis investigated a “self-selection” diet with children aged 6-11 months, most with poor health, in an orphanage.  They were offered an array of dietary choices -- meats, grains, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, even bone jelly and brains -- but were left to make their own choices and were never forced to eat any particular food.  Over the six years of the study, Dr. Davis found the children gained weight, their health improved and they even ate foods known to help manage colds.  More interesting, even when they did eat one or two specific foods to the exclusion of others for a period of time, the children maintained an overall ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates at 17%, 35%, and 48%.  Not bad.  Left to their own, those very young children actually ate surprisingly well. 

The bottom line is... we all naturally want to eat well.   Your body actually wants good food.  It is your brain that gets you into trouble.  But why?  

Most of us do not hunt or scavenge or even grow our own food like our ancestors did.  Thankfully, most of us do not have to think much about where our next meal is coming from.  In addition, most of us have access to a wide variety of good and nourishing food, which is fantastic.  But instead of choosing what would support our genes or satisfy our true nutritional needs, we often find ourselves pitting our self discipline against the siren call of everything that is easy, fast and sweet.

But why does your brain find what is bad for you so tantalizing?  We all have been taught -- by our upbringing, by the culture, especially by the advertising and marketing that surrounds us -- that these foods are “rewards,” while foods that actually support our genes, help feed our microbiome or lower our blood sugar levels are to be thought of as “medicine” or a “chore” that we “should” eat but of course would never voluntarily choose.  The truth is healthy food is what our bodies actually crave, even when our “brainwashed” brains try to tell us otherwise. 

Listen to your body.

Now, some of you might ask, “but what about dopamine”?  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is released from your brain cells to talk to other cells.  It can affect the way your brain makes decisions around reward, addiction, and motivation.  Yes, dopamine plays a role in what we choose, and is definitely something to know more about, and so we will explore it in an upcoming blog. 

In the meantime, the next time you feel the urge to grab a donut or a soda, ask yourself:

“What does my body really want?”  Listen for the answer, and choose that.  Your body does not lie.    

Some further research to explore:

The Wisdom of Letting Children Choose Their Own Diets

The Paleo Diet: 25 years later

Confessions of a Paleo Diet Pioneer

Want to learn more? Check out our other blog posts here.