An Evolved Sweet Tooth

Believe it or not, you’re evolutionarily designed to slam four donuts in a sitting. We cut cake into pieces because it’s socially acceptable, but the DNA floating around in your body, which by the way has evolved for 2.5 million years with survival in mind, has programmed us to eat the whole damn thing. I personally could eat and entire box of Frosted Flakes for breakfast.

What’s that all about?

Well, it used to be about survival. It’s an outdated desire to seek and consume carbohydrates (sugar) for survival because up until recently (the last several thousand years) sweets like fruit and the occasional bee hive to jam your hand in (which our ancestors did willingly, by the way, with bee stings and all) were scarce resources. Our environment had self regulating exposures to them with the seasons and our nomadic ability to happen upon them. We never evolved to live in pseudo-nature like we do now, where Ben and Jerry’s doesn’t grow on trees, but is stocked all year round. Fruits and other carbohydrates are available 24/7/365.

What’s the result?

We’re participating in humanities greatest prank. The very engrained habits that kept us alive in our old world are the very things that are killing us in our new world. My advice? Knowledge is power and you’d be surprised at what the awareness to this tendency coupled with knowing the harsh realities of massive carbohydrate consumption do to our health can keep us out of trouble (for the most part).

Dessert anyone?

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach