Why We Eat
why we eat series, #1
Reeks: why we eat series
Jeffry Weiss
- Since
- 1950,
- the
- amount
- of
- nutritional
- information
- available
- to
- the
- public
- has
- roughly
- doubled
- every
- seven
- years.
- During
- that
- same
- period
- (1950-2000),
- obesity
- rose
- by
- 214%
- until
- today,
- where
- 64.5
- percent
- of
- adult
- Americans
- (about
- 127
- million)
- are
- categorized
- as
- being
- overweight
- or
- obese.
- In
- that
- light,
- one
- might
- conclude
- that
- there
- is
- a
- direct
- correlation
- between
- knowledge
- of
- obesity
- and
- obesity
- itself.The
- point
- is
- people
- aren't
- foolish.
- They
- know
- that
- a
- salad
- is
- better
- for
- them
- than
- a
- pizza;
- that
- grilled
- chicken
- is
- better
- than
- a
- smothered
- burrito;
- that
- tofu
- is
- better
- than
- hamburger;
- that
- fresh
- fruits
- and
- vegetables
- are
- better
- than
- candy
- bars
- and
- French
- fries.
- People
- are
- swimming
- in
- information.
- They
- are
- anesthetized
- by
- information.
- More
- has
- not,
- and
- will
- not,
- lead
- to
- enlightened
- behavior,
- less
- craving
- for
- food,
- or
- improved
- health.The
- strategy
- of
- focusing
- on
- what
- we
- eat
- is
- turning
- people
- away
- from
- the
- real
- problem.
- That
- message
- has
- been
- unsuccessful
- for
- decades.
- Further
- studies,
- weight
- loss
- programs,
- and
- media
- emphasis
- on
- the
- same
- note,
- will
- not
- bring
- the
- desired
- results.The
- first
- and
- foremost
- question
- to
- ask
- is
- why
- we
- eat.Early
- man
- ate
- only
- enough
- to
- satisfy
- his
- appetite.
- People
- today
- continue
- to
- eat
- beyond
- the
- point
- of
- satiation
- for
- a
- very
- different
- reason:
- to
- gain
- euphoric
- feeling
- through
- the
- chemicals
- released
- by
- the
- foods
- we
- consume.
- And
- what
- are
- these
- chemicals
- that
- are
- so
- powerful
- as
- to
- induce
- behaviors
- that
- are
- sometimes
- irrational
- and
- often
- detrimental
- to
- our
- health
- and
- continued
- evolution?
- Endorphins.Endorphins
- are
- neurochemicals
- in
- the
- body
- that
- reward
- us
- with
- a
- euphoric
- feeling
- when
- we
- interact
- with
- certain
- stimuli
- such
- as
- food.
- Endorphins
- are
- at
- the
- very
- core
- of
- all
- of
- our
- motivations.
- The
- satisfaction
- or
- pleasure
- we
- derive
- from
- our
- pursuit
- of
- stimuli
- is
- measured
- by
- endorphin
- release.There
- are,
- in
- fact,
- four
- OTHER
- ways
- to
- trigger
- their
- release.
- And
- while
- food
- may
- be
- the
- quickest
- and
- most
- accessible
- means
- of
- generating
- this
- response,
- in
- actually
- it
- produces
- the
- most
- fleeting
- effect.
- The
- other
- methodologies
- are
- expanded
- upon
- in
- the
- body
- of
- the
- text,
- revolutionizing
- the
- way
- we
- will
- attack
- obesity
- in
- this country.
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