I Personally Believe . . .

I personally believe. . . that we don't give our bodies the credit they deserve. We often perceive its communications like we would a tiny little devil on our shoulder: Go eat that candy bar!

Bodies get a whole lot of blame, and backlash from our own failings. We crave things that are bad for us, therefore, our bodies are the enemy. We seem to gain weight merely by looking at food, therefore, we must beat our bodies into submission. With all of this abuse, it is a wonder that our bodies don't rebel entirely through dereliction of duty.

I tend to take the position that our bodies are sending the correct message, but our minds interpret this differently. As one who fancies herself a linguist, I shall now attempt to translate some of these messages:

Body: You need some B vitamins. These are readily available in whole grain breads.

Brain: Doughnuts! Must eat doughnuts!

Body: You are a little low on iron. Try red meat or salmon, or even some beans or spinach.

Brain: Ah! There's McDonalds! You need a Big Mac NOW!

Body: Your bones need more calcium. Eat some dairy products.

Brain: I think I am having an ice cream craving. Two scoops of chocolate delight should do the trick!

Body: I know you think this fat free thing is great, but your brain really needs some healthy fats. Some pistachios or a bit of olive oil might help.

Brain: That can of frosting over there sounds really good!

Body: You need some vitamin C to help with that cold. Try some oranges, broccoli, or potatoes.

Brain: FRENCH FRIES!

Body: You feel shaky and nervous. You need more sleep and to reduce stress levels.

Brain: A little caffeine should fix that.

So, as you can see, the body is doing everything it is supposed to, except we more commonly fail to capture the real message being sent. Well, this is just my personal philosophy, although I can't quite decipher the message my body is sending when I crave Pizza Puffs. Maybe the salt to spike my low blood pressure. Zing!

The title? Well, just to prove that our brains really do get a little carried away, I suppose. Poor girl. Maybe pageant girls should be required to read the Economist . . .

While we were wandering around Walmart tonight, I passed by the doughnut cabinet. I hate doughnuts. They don't even tempt me -- not even when I am starving. Oh, except that ONE doughnut. French Crullers are my doughnut Achilles heel. Twix and Jr. Mints are my candy Achilles heels. No other candy bars even sound good to me. So I asked C, "What are your Achilles heels?" The answer: Apple Fritters, PB Cups, and Peanut M&Ms. So I tried an old trick I once saw on TV.

Let's say you ate an apple fritter and you found a big old worm inside and it made you sick. Would you still want to eat apple fritters?

"Sure. I'd just assume I got a bad one. It wouldn't slow me down at all." So much for my mental image. At any rate, I figure if I know what my food Achilles heels are, I can try to avoid them. As it turned out, when we arrived home, there on the front porch was a box of chocolates. Inside? PB Cups. We have learned from experience that throwing a box of candy in the garbage is ineffective, because if it isn't touching other garbage, it is still considered pristine. Therefore, we took drastic measures.

So, what is your food Achilles heel? How do you avoid it?