Many societal beliefs are tied to the dualism of soul-body or mind-body. Various religions suggest the soul as self and reject the physical body, as if the body’s an impediment against the soul or that it’s even irrelevant. In the realm of philosophy, it’s a similar story. Identification with the mind. “I Think, Therefore I Am.” It seems as if we’re always attempting to separate from our body, as if it’s not enough. It’s no wonder that we suffer from chronically ill health.
Perhaps subconsciously, we perceive the body has an expiration date and by hooking our wagon to the mind or the soul, we might possibly cheat death, when our bodies reach their finish line. Some religions suggest that Heaven is a Utopia that can only be reached when you leave your body behind and that may well be true. It’s a mystery, shrouded in a belief.
In the present paradigm however you have a body to deal with, along with your mind and your soul. All three are intricately connected to form self, (I) and the artistry of life is strengthening and harmonizing those connections. Fine-tuning yourself; constantly evolving towards your destiny, and the first step is putting your physical body in order.
Human Motivation
The primary needs of the physical body are clean air, clean water, clean food and quality sleep. As we’ve been driven into cities and large metropolitan areas to feed the technocratic machine, our physical, (as well as emotional and spiritual) needs are often sacrificed. Our lives become too busy chasing after something we never quite catch. We spend all of our time in the house, in the car, in the office, at work, earning a living. Too busy with life, to take care of our self.
Physiological needs are primarily about the body. Before you can even consider the needs of mind and soul, the bodies needs must be dealt with. The body attempts to do this automatically, sending signals in an effort to maintain homeostasis. Key drivers are water, salt, sugar, protein, fat, calcium and oxygen levels, along with numerous vitamins, minerals and hormones. pH balance and blood temperature also drive the body appetite – relative to it’s needs.
When your physiological needs are not met, your body craves what is lacking and hunger sets in. These drives must be met before any other. Physiological needs dominate the individual. Safety, self-esteem and love are sent to the back of the bus until the hunger is resolved. All of your energy is put into the act of satisfying that hunger. When you are extremely hungry, nothing else exists. You think food, dream food and desire only food. Nothing else exists except food until the need is met, then it’s on to sex.
“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Food
The food industry is massive, like the medical industry. Generating over $2,000,000,000,000 in revenue annually. Grocery stores have gone from offering 7,000 or so items twenty years ago to well over 60,000 items today. Many of these items are highly processed foods, loaded with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, (HFCS) and highly refined grain products. This junk food is loaded with calories, yet lacks any nutritional value. It does nothing to satisfy the physiological needs of your body.
The more of this junk you eat, the hungrier you become. Unable to focus on anything but the unquenchable craving that your body is screaming for – at the top of it’s lungs. The body’s trying to maintain homeostasis, an ancient process. It has a natural craving for sweet things; glucose is it’s fuel but there was no such thing as highly refined beet sugar or HFCS until recently. The body doesn’t understand. It craves nutrition and sends out the signal but instead of giving it nutrition, you give it some chips, a couple donuts or a Big Mac.
The food industry understands the concept very well. Just like the pharmaceutical industry understands the dangers of opioid dependency. These industries focus on revenue and profitability not health and they’re ruthless. They don’t even attempt to hide it; with advertising jingles like, “Bet You Can’t Eat Just One.” They know exactly what they’re doing. Let’s have a closer look at some of the foods that create chaos for your physiological cravings.
The Chaos of Cravings
Cheese – Humans are programmed from birth with an opiate-like response to casein, a protein in milk. Cheese is a concentrated form of milk and induces this effect. Casomorphins and significant amounts of fat and salt make cheese irresistible. The more you eat, the more you crave—as devised by nature. Your cheese addiction not only leads to obesity, it creates an acid rich environment that destroys your immune response and makes you susceptible to a variety of diseases.
Sugar – in any form is highly addictive due to a dopamine response. We are evolutionarily tuned to seek out sweetness and the food industry has made sure there are thousands of sources, in endless quantities. Sugar is the primary contributor to our present obesity crisis. It’s incessant call entices you to overeat but it provides no satiety, or nourishment. Leaving your body screaming for more.
Fruit is what your body is seeking. Whole food sources of sugar is what your ancient physiological craving is all about. Fruit is full of fiber and nutrition. That’s why you can eat a half dozen donuts and still be hungry but an apple and a few grapes satisfies your craving.
“Give me juicy autumnal fruit, ripe and red from the orchard.” ~ Walt Whitman
The food industry makes a lot of sugary junk food look enticing and acceptable to eat but it is full of sugar or even worse HFCS. All this junk is loaded with calories, has very little nutrition and will leave you feeling just as hungry, and you will be off looking for the next sugary morsel to consume. Fatter and sicker than ever.
Refined Grain – Real food has fiber. Fiber rich food satisfies your physiological hunger. Processed and refined food has all of the fiber stripped away. You just keep eating them but the hunger never goes away, even as your stomach is ready to explode. The entire center of the store is full of this junk; bread, crackers and chips. Then there’s the doubly dangerous refined grain and sugar junk; cookies, cakes, Twinkies, HoHo’s, brownies and the list goes on and on. 1000’s of ways to destroy your health.
Salty Snacks – “It’s true that you can never eat just one. Salty snacks contain excessive amounts of sodium and are completely devoid of any nutrition. The high-salt content dehydrates the body and fools it into eating more. Just another dopamine trick by the big food conglomerates. The more you eat the more you want.
Fast Food – Keep on driving; this junk is toxic poison. Highly processed foods, filled with preservatives, trans fats, HFCS, and salt. The worst of the worst. If you can only do one thing to clean up your body, this is the one. Stop eating fast food.
“Fast food is popular because it’s convenient, it’s cheap, and it tastes good. But the real cost of eating fast food never appears on the menu.” ~ Eric Schlosser
Clean Out the Junk
All this junk has one thing in common. It’s loaded with calories but has no significant fiber or nutritional value. The physiological hunger drive is keying in on nutrition, making you feel hungry but if you never give your body any fiber or nutrition and only empty calories; it never stops craving. A recipe for disaster.
Before you can harmonize your self; body, mind and soul. You need to get beyond the human hierarchy of physiological needs. They will drive you until they’re satisfied. The first step in harmonizing yourself is to heal your body, giving it what it hungers for – real nutrition. A healthy body makes for a healthy mind and a healthy soul. You need to be in harmony with yourself before you can harmonize with The Great Wide World. Let nature be your guide.
“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.” ~ Alan Watts