Eating Instinctively

I start from the premise that eating instinctively means eating
healthily. I strongly believe that the body has the capability
of transmitting the brain accurate information regarding its
nutrition necessities: a moderate amount of food, and only foods
that are benefic for health.

The problem is that most of these natural eating instincts are
lost on the way. Usually, during the growing process, adults
project their unhealthy habits on children, offering them a
range of foods that are not always best choices. As adults, we
have formed our eating habits, more or less healthy and usually
worry about our children’s eating habits, but their instinct is
often correct.

My theory has as starting point my own experience as a child,
when I recall rejecting foods that I found too greasy or too
deeply fried. Observing babies and children behaviour towards
feeding might give us an idea about what eating instinctively
means. Small children that did not have the time to get
influenced by adults, have the natural eating instinct
unspoiled. Contrary to adults’ opinion about eating, they want
to eat many smaller meals and only when they are hungry.

To support my thesis, I resort to the recommendation made by
specialists in baby nutrition who advise on feeding babies at
request, not forcing a program on them, thus a meals program
will be generated by their inner scheduler according to their
needs.

So, from children we learn that one should eat when hungry and
in the amount striclty required by body necessities, not driven
by social cues such as eating out with friends even if not
hungry or taking a lunch break just because it’s noon.

Another reason supporting the theory towards a simpler way of
eating is that based on the foods offered by nature. Every
living creature finds its subsistence resources in nature.
Theoretically, foods of natural origin in their unspoiled state
should suffice for ensuring men a healthy existence. I am not a
sustainer of some paleolithic diet or anything like this, but we
cannot not make reference to the simple way of eating of old
times. It is a fact that in modern times modern and more complex
diseases have developed (such as the increased incidence of
tooth decay, allergies, various diseases of the digestive system
such as diverticulitis), most in tight connection to modern
diets. Man was not built for so many refined and super-refined
processed foods. The great discovery – cooking – was just a
means to make foods more digestible, but nowadays we experience
an extreme version of modern eating, one abounding in processed
foods and pre-prepared meals.

Eating in a balanced proportion raw foods (vegetables, fruit)
and cooked meals is definitely healthier. Also healthy choices
are those of foods in an unrefined state, as close to natural as
possible.

Towards a healthier way of eating a reconsideration of our diet
is needed. The thing is, it is harder to re-educate ourselves
than to acquire from scratch, as first we need to forget
everything we know, get rid of all the unhealthy habits and then
to rediscover eating and it is even harder to resist so many
temptations scatered all over, just at hand to grab!

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