When humanity was young, it possessed instincts that inspired early man to eat only those foods that would keep the body healthy and strong. As time passed, however, this diet of nutritious raw foods was replaced by one of processed grains, cooked meats and vegetables, and preservatives. Though the healthy-eating instinct was buried deep within us, it emerges from time to time when we choose a fresh, whole food appropriate to our bodies' needs. Imagine the sweet scent of ripe pineapple and then the first heavenly bite. After the tenth bite, the pineapple is no longer as wonderful. It may taste sour or dry. The initial pleasure and the eventual unpleasantness are the cues of instinctive (Anopson) nutrition. Physicist and cellist Guy-Claude Burger proposed that each of us possesses an innate nutritional knowledge of which foods we need to achieve metabolic balance. He believed that humans are genetically adapted only to foods in their original state: raw, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, meats, seafoods, pollens, honey, nuts and some grains and dairy. When you have a need for a certain food, that food will smell and taste incredibly alluring. But the reaction is dynamic and when your body's need has been fulfilled, the flavor abruptly changes, indicating that you should switch to another food or end your meal. Instinctive nutrition also advocates eating only one food at a time, or mono-eating, to allow you to experience the unique pleasure of each individual food. Food can make us healthy and can make us ill. Eating via instinct protects your body from artificial foods and pollutants, and leads to better health, even-temperedness and increased concentration through better nutrition and immune response. Instinctive nutrition also fosters a deeper relationship with yourself because you are creating a health regime designed just for you. Listening to your body and observing its needs on the dietary level is a simple way to begin intuitively caring for yourself, every day. (
Daily OM)
