Our bodies are an incredible thing. They are able to control so many
different processes and chemical levels all inside a contained system with no
external support. This type of
internal regulation is known as homeostasis, and allows us to do things like
always keep a constant temperature, ensure our blood pressure doesn’t get too
high, and even keep a proper pH balance within the body. The body even has its own homeostatic
controls for energy balance, and uses these to help control how much energy
goes in and out. Now, I assume
most of you are asking yourself that if the body can internally control things
like blood pressure and energy balance, why are there so many people with
hypertension and obesity? Well, these
homeostatic controls can break down, especially in the perfect storm of the
Standard American Diet (SAD).
This internal control of energy is nice and all, but how can
that help us? Well, I think it
leads us to my 2nd cornerstone for health: Eating only when
hungry. Do you think our
hunter-gatherer ancestors stopped at noon to eat lunch just because it was
lunch time? No way! They ate when they needed to. Obviously this eating strategy is
starting to look like it’s on to something from an evolutionary perspective,
but lets take a look at what the current science says about this.
