Primal Primer 2 (Nutrition)
Scientifically defined: eating it the act of consuming organic material in exchange for energy, vitamins and minerals. Initiated from past conditions of abject scarcity, the success and careful engineering of modern times has jettisoned the sapien into a state of continued opulence amongst a background of overly efficient food sourcing. Eating today is no longer tied to acute survival, no longer the bounty of successful and arduous hunts, or favorable seasons of farming. Eating is now a marketed compulsion fulfilled by mouth pleasure, variety seeking, and aimed at maximizing Big Food profits by dopamine dependency and processed degeneracy.
The Why Behind Consumption
Intentional Eating is a philosophy of understanding the why behind the what of consumption. Accurately described by the term fueling; a powerful reframe modifying relationships with food from emotional to functional. Knowing that fuel begets form and function, is a powerful concept in changing mental and physical trajectories around eating.
How To Intentionally Eat
Know The Why Behind Your Food – Determine the goals food unlock: managing body composition, growing muscle, losing fat, becoming faster, increasing endurance, being quicker in thought, or to reduce inflammation and heal. Sometimes the why is simply for pleasure, and that’s completely acceptable too (in moderation).
Research – Once the why is established, researching and understanding the types of food choices that best stimulate adaptive goals are to be preloaded into programming. Establish a food list of usual suspects that are practical and accessible.
Programming – Write out meal ideas and list for one week span of fueling. Compiling a rough matrix of preferable options will curate and guide planning and provide substitute options when variety is needed.
Learnings – Along the way you will learn a great deal from successes and failures of your Intentional Eating plan. Adjust accordingly and be realistic in progress as undoing a lifetime of pleasure food seeking is difficult. Reestablishing a more functional relationship with food does not mean sacrificing taste and satisfaction as organic plants, fruits, and animals are innately delicious and filling.
~Cave Implementation~
Build daily fueling in accordance with established intentions (activity & goals) and reasons behind food choice. Establishing the why, researching the what, programming the plan, and recalibrating from learnings will be critical in any intentional eating practice. Orient fueling direction and quantities logically and intuitively. Even those with little food science training should Inuit that proteins are for muscle synthesis & recovery. Carbs for energy & storage. Fats for fueling & hormone production. Also be mindful of debauchery allocation within intentional eating: even indulgence (alcohol, sweets, & some processed foods) are permitted when limited, intentional, and celebratory.
Establishing The Why, Researching The What, Programming The Plan, & Recalibrating From Learnings.
