Purposeful Eating
How does one convince an entire nation to eat when they aren't hungry? First, you must instill a virtue in eating—specifically, strength. Once people believe it's virtuous to be strong, tell them they must eat to grow strong. They'll stop eating out of a desire to satisfy hunger, and instead, eat for the desire to be strong. Individuals can then easily justify overindulgence because strength is virtuous. But this is a slippery slope: once a population can justify overindulgence for one reason, they'll begin to justify it for many different reasons.
A common belief is that three balanced meals a day are essential for health, energy, and growth. However, a look at the Hadza tribe of Tanzania, Africa, offers a compelling counterpoint. The Hadza live today as primitive hunters and gatherers, relying on wild foods from their environment (Pontzer et al., 2012; Marlowe, 2010). Their day consists of drinking water from natural sources, a scoop of honey for a quick energy boost, and a day-long hunting excursion in the African sun with tools made from sticks, stone, and bone (Berbesque et al., 2016; Schnorr et al., 2014). Some days they bring back bountiful loot from the hunt; other days, they return empty-handed due to the variability of foraging (Wood et al., 2014). They do not adhere to fixed meal times like breakfast, lunch, and dinner, instead eating opportunistically (Marlowe, 2010), yet they glow with radiant health, have the energy to hunt animals with sticks and stone in the blistering hot African sun, and their bodies are characterized by leanness and low rates of modern chronic diseases, often considered a dream physique by Western standards (Pontzer et al., 2012; Schnorr et al., 2014).
The Hadza's approach highlights how far we've strayed. Today, eating has become ceremonial. We eat because it's time to eat, we eat because we're at a social event, we eat because we turned on the TV and it's our habit to eat while watching, and we eat snacks to fill time because we're bored. Eating in this manner has consequences for the body that are rarely discussed.
Eating for the sake of eating, without regard for hunger or nutrition, has very clear consequences that nobody talks about. Or rather, we do talk about them, but the conversation often revolves around accepting everyone for who they are, however we are not our eating habits. As a result, our society is overweight and struggles with heart health. Our skin needs a skincare routine just to prevent acne and maintain a healthy glow. We rely on supplements to give our bodies the nutrients they need to function properly. We drink caffeine for enough energy to get through the day because we are lethargic.
Actionable Tips for Proper Eating Habits
Fast for two days to feel what hunger is truly supposed to feel like. (make sure this step is right for your health; it can be dangerous to fast while on certain medications or pregnant)
Eat real food that nourishes your body instead of empty calories for flavor.
Cook at home instead of eating out.
Work Cited
Berbesque, J. C., Wood, B. M., Crittenden, A. N., Gordon, I. J., & Mabulla, A. Z. P. (2016). Hunter-gatherers and human evolution. Current Anthropology, 57(3), 329-338.
Marlowe, F. W. (2010). The Hadza: Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania. University of California Press.
Pontzer, H., Raichlen, D. A., Wood, B. M., Emery Thompson, M., Gordon, I. J., Mabulla, A. Z. P., ... & Schoeller, D. A. (2012). Hunter-Gatherer Energetics and Human Obesity. PLOS One, 7(7), e40503. [Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0040503]
Schnorr, S. L., Candela, M., Rampelli, S., Centanni, M., Consolandi, C., Basaglia, G., ... & Crittenden, A. N. (2014). Gut microbiome of the Hadza hunter-gatherers. Nature Communications, 5, 3654. [Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms4654]
Wood, B. M., Pontzer, H., & Raichlen, D. A. (2014). Provisioning in hunter-gatherer societies and the evolution of the human brain. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(1), 19-20.
Keep Eating! Maintain a constant flow of food through your instestines & one day you will be big & strong!
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Eat for the flavor not the nutrition! If your food doesn’t blast your dopamine & serotonin receptors than it’s not food!
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