I’ve been reading alot, and I just finished Eat to Live, which is a FANTASTIC book. I wish that I could give everyone a copy so that they could read and comprehend what omnivore diets are doing to our bodies. I have learned some things (obviously) that make me a little umcomfortable in my own skin. I didn’t realize that I was addicted to sugar (okay, maybe I suspected)…honestly, who seriously believes that they have a sugar addiction?! Or what about a food addiction?? 
I was reading about the American diet, and how it creates an unhealthy addiction to food. I thought, but I wait to eat until I’m “hungry”. For me hunger is equal to slight naseau, light-headedness, irritation and a general “get to the fridge NOW” mentality. Then I kept reading. These “hunger” pangs that I’ve experienced MY WHOLE LIFE are actually symptoms of hypoglycemia. My first reaction was disbelief. Of course that happens to otherpeople. And I’ve never been diagnosed, but then again, I’ve never complained about my symptoms to my doctor. Something to think about…so I kept reading. And thinking. There is a cure! Thank my lucky stars!! The cure is… (dramatic drumroll) a vegetarian/vegan diet! Well, I guess I’m on my way…AND Dr. Furman wants me to eat (or try to eat) at least 1 POUND of fresh green veggies and 1 POUND of steamed veggies per day. PER DAY! WOW. That’s ALOT more veggies than I’ve been eating. He also suggests incorporating fruit for breakfast, since it is the easiest of all foods for your body to digest.
Okay, enough rambling. I have a point, I promise. I had my fruit for breakfast around 8:00 am. And now here I am at 11:15, and I’m “hungry”. Dr. Furman suggests that TRUE HUNGER is a throat and mouth sensation, NOT a nausea/tummy ache/crankiness sensation. Okay…so I actually HAVE NEVER experienced TRUE HUNGER…. I’m trying to wait for it today, but I realized that I was clock-watching instead. 11:15 usually means lunchtime for me (hungry or not) and I’m having a really difficult time not freaking out over NOT eating. I’m not nauseated, nor am I cranky (yet)….maybe there is something to this theory after all!
I’m determined to try to eat clean (or as clean as possible) for the month of May. This means that I will be following the dietary advice in Eat to Live. This should also help me to get the last 10 pounds off…but truthfully, I’m more curious about finding out what true hunger and better nutrition feels like. I’m excited to explore this new-found knowledge and will keep y’all posted!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting…very interesting…I knew about the blood sugar thing, since I experience that, too, when I’m “over” hungry (light-headed, irritated feeling, etc). I’ve never felt the TRUE feeling of hunger. Weird.
You definitely got me thinking today! Thanks!!
Allyson
I understand the mouth/throat hunger sensation because that’s what I get…but I’d never heard anyone say it was ‘correct’ before. I tell my husband all the time that I’m hungry up to the top of my throat…with the hand gesture just to make sure he knows where that is. lol When I go past throat/mouth hunger is when I get the other more sickly hunger symptoms and start going down hill as far as energy and mood.
Well, now I’m curious. If we’re meant to be omnivores, why do we have our pointy eye-teeth to rip meat? I mean, I remember with dinosaurs, the omnivores have flat “plant-eating” teeth and the carnivores have pointy “meat-eating” teeth, so were we given the wrong teeth? Or is he just saying that it’s better for us?
Well…it IS better for us. AND it’s helpful in fighting disease, addiction and increasing total fitness. The gist is that we (humans) don’t have the right enzymes to properly break down meat OR dairy (that enzyme goes away when we’re about 2…which explains why so many people are lactose intolerant). Additionally, when we eat meat, we tend to forget that we NEED vegetables and their phytonutrients….