A Secret
Here’s a secret. I don’t talk about it much because even for me I consider it weird. I’ve never heard anyone else with this issue, past or present, so I mostly keep it to myself – for fear of people shrieking “Freak!” and grabbing their pitchforks.
The secret is, for a long time, I didn’t enjoy food. Could I taste food? Certainly. Did certain tastes disgust me? For sure. Could I tell when a food objectively tasted pleasant? Yes. But I wasn’t excited about food. When I heard people describing food they were eating as delicious, amazing, and talking about getting goosebumps from eating I was mostly just confused. I thought they were exaggerating, because I had never experienced any such thing. Food was fine. Sometimes it was good. But it was never the moaning-in-delight event that I saw it described.
Is Obesity Merely a Gluttonous Love for Food?
This might seem odd, if you know my history. For quite a long time, I was obese – with my highest weight at 240 lbs paired with a height of 5’1″. You could obviously say – how is it possible to get to that weight without enjoying food? Obviously you were eating too much. Probably true. But I didn’t eat because I enjoyed it – I ate compulsively, to quell the raging hunger. Sometimes I ate out of boredom (or so I thought, as soon as I changed my diet this went away). I would eat the same size meal as other people, but soon would be hungry again. (Apparently this isn’t actually unusual among the obese – who knew!)
I’ve seen some people blame obesity on food tasting too good. Or, hyper-palatable if you like big words. Sugar, salt, and fat: a sinful cocktail of hedonistic delight bent on making us consume more and more. Maybe that’s partially true – but it wasn’t so for me.
Is Blandness the Answer?
I’ve seen some respond that the “cure” to obesity is to only eat bland things, so you’re not tempted down the path of actually enjoying the food you eat. Obesity is obviously a disorder of gluttony (and sloth, can’t forget that one) so to cure it you must do as all animals do and only ingest boring things, lest you tickle your fancy a little too much, resulting in a binge that negates all your previous restriction. Perhaps a tasty bite here and there – but only in moderation! Whatever that means.
I think this argument is a bit odd. All you have to do is watch an animal about to eat – try it with your dog. Make as if you’re about to feed them some meat, some raw steak perhaps. Allow them to sniff it, let them know what they’re in store for, and then look at them. Do they seem bored? Uninterested? On the contrary, I’d say they look pretty excited, ready to chow down, salivating at the idea of getting their teeth in some nourishing food. (Granted you could argue that our pets are becoming obese, but I highly doubt that’s due to feeding them steak – that’s a topic for another day, however)
You can do this with sheep, too. My mom has a farm, plenty of sheep, and she’s pointed out that lambs wag their tails when they’re nursing. Not only that, but older sheep do it too, if they find a particular plant that they like (clover for example, although apparently it varies by sheep) they’ll wag their tails like the happiest little ruminants in the prairie.
She’s also noted that the chickens express great joy when they come upon a tasty frog, or a mouse-y morsel ripe for the picking. Shrieking in triumph, before quickly trying to snatch up and hide their find from the rest of the flock. Are they suffering from gluttony as well then? Where is their obesity, when faced with an abundance of clearly hyper-palatable food?
Food is Supposed to Be Pleasurable
We’re programmed for it. If food weren’t exciting, enjoyable to experience, we wouldn’t seek it out with quite so much fervor. Certainly if we were starving, but what other way do we have to tell good food apart from excellent? Fresh from slightly off? Nutritious from something not worth the energy spent to chew it? A mix of pleasure and disgust helps us distinguish this. So where’s the problem? I’ve seen one possibility aimed at the food companies engineering frankenstein monsters of MSG, corn syrup, and flavoring for making nutrient void foods that taste like foods we’d naturally find pleasurable. Or engineering fruits to be bursting with sugar beyond what is natural. Maybe. But, I think blaming food addiction, or obesity, on gluttony, lack of willpower, and food that is too pleasurable is akin to blaming sex addiction on sex being too pleasurable. Can it possibly be so simple? I don’t think so, not much is.
If this were the case, then why do many lose weight – dropping from obese to normal weight – by switching to food laden with fat, and red meat, and hedonistic pleasures? Many find ketogenic (high fat low carb) foods to be the most delicious food they’ve ever eaten, and some even use sweeteners, with great success. I’ll admit though, I still wasn’t deriving noticeable pleasure from ketogenic food either. I could tell it was better quality than what I had been eating before, but despite no significant change in enjoyment I lost weight. A lot of it. Even stranger than that – my compulsive eating stopped, I no longer felt the urge to eat when I was bored, one or two meals a day sufficed without need for snacks (although I still did occasionally). It was like my hunger had turned from a constant 11 down to a more reasonable 5, no willpower needed.
Why Did I Say Used To?
At the beginning I said I didn’t used to enjoy food. Following the logic or proper grammar, this must mean I currently do. So what changed? Did I finally force myself into realizing that healthy green leafies are delicious, or undergo some sort of radical treatment to fix myself? I guess you could claim the latter. The fix?
I stopped eating plants.
That’s right. Soon after starting a carnivorous diet, I noticed that I started to become excited about my meals. I looked forward to them! Unheard of. Moreso than that, I found myself experiencing the delight in eating that I had assumed was exaggerated. I got goosebumps eating pork. I shivered eating a tasty bit of animal fat. I danced in place while indulging in dairy. Not only that but not only did I not gain weight from this sudden hyper-palatibility I lost weight. My appetite was the clearest it had ever been – making it unmistakable when I needed food, crystal clear when I was done (even in the middle of a plate of food!), and blissfully silent inbetween meals.
So what changed? To be honest, I have no idea. Could it have been that the hyper-palatable foods of the prior ages fried the pleasure center of my brain somehow, resulting in a need to “detox” with less pleasurable (ha!) meat and dairy? If this were the case, if I went back to omnivorous fare would I enjoy it? As it turns out, I’ve tried this, and I’m immediately sent back to a place of lack of excitement, lack of pleasure, and so-so feelings towards food.
So what’s the conclusion? Am I freak? A one-off case? Perhaps some sort of demon who can only delight in the pleasures of animal flesh?
All I know is I’m happy to be able to delight in food, exactly as I’m meant to.
Dendritica 
Great points, all. I learned about the history of hyper-palatable food from reading The Dorito Effect. I am still addicted to food that has a lot of salt and flavor to it, admittedly, but thankfully, that’s limited to mostly things like aged European cheese and salamis, good cured/smoked pork belly, and the occasional olives/pickles. I think it’s because for the first time in my life, salt has been something my body craved, instead of looked at like it is dangerous to where I stopped limiting how much I consume. Once I heard that signal, my mouth watered at the idea of more vs less salt. Even the blandest of meats become my new hyper palatable food with just that simple addition of real salt.
Thanks for this.
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That’s very interesting. The direct opposite happened with me, when I went 100% strict paleo carnivore. Within a month of starting this woe, I naturally weaned off of salt and very much prefer the taste of just the meat with no salt or seasonings and additionally in its raw form. When I began to dry age my meat, that took it to a whole new level of flavor. I now crave raw aged meat, and it’s a much stronger craving than the carb cravings I used to have before carnivory.
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Perhaps you end up eating more of the food because you need the salt? Just randomly speculating. My friend, Dave, has to use a ton of salt before he feels good – meanwhile I rarely use any! It’s really interesting how our need varies.
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I am so delighted to have found you in the carnivore community. We ALL have something to add from our experience. I had a sever sugar addiction that started at 6 years old and never knew I was on the hamster wheel until I found carnivore some 55 years later . Not only did I damage my body, I damaged my life… so you can imagine how happy I am to no longer be living in that insanity. Thank you for doing this blog – we all need to hear each other’s stories!!!
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Wow – so sorry you had to go through that, but so happy you’ve now found something that fills you with joy! I definitely know what you mean – I think my diet contributed a lot to my previous memory paired with other triggers in my life. As Georgia Ede said on her appearance on 2KetoDudes – food can make you more (or less!) resilient to things that happen in your life. I noticed that after I switched to carnivore I was better able to deal with past hurt, and move past it. That’s lifechanging.
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Excellent!
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Glad you enjoyed 🙂
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My 19 year old son has that hangry look when he ravenously eats his hastily prepared sandwiches. He recently said he does not enjoy food at all and would be content if there was a more efficient way to get the nutrients he needs – like an astronaut. I can relate to his rather bleak puritanical view on eating as a necessary evil. I used to think alike. But is there real joy in abstaining from food ? Your blog for me wonderfully explores the other side – the necessary goodness and enjoyment of eating food, anticipation and satiety. I love how your light playful writing creates and illuminates this space to think my own thoughts about this, how things can change for the better. Thank you for thar ! I probably enjoyed eating Greek yoghurt for breakfast this morning more than I care to admit.
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Yes – at one point I definitely felt similar to your son and even expressed the same thoughts of wishing there was a food “pill”. Perhaps he just has not found the food that sparks joy for him yet as I hadn’t. I hope he does 🙂
If he wants to go the astronaut route he could always try something like ketochow, which is a nutritionally complete shake – ha. My friend (and boyfriend) loves them.
I am really glad you enjoyed the blog, and please! Enjoy your yogurt with all your heart! 🙂
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Phenomenal topic and content!!! Only fellow carnivores will know exactly what you’re feeling and experiencing. This is happening for many of us.
I’m going to take a stab at giving you an answer as to what changed. I believe our body knows what the best, most optimal foods it requires in order to thrive. So, of course it reacts with such strong, positive feelings. it’s only natural that it would cause you to feel excited, experience delight, even giving us a high or zen-like feeling while and after eating meat and other animal-based foods.
It is a deep instinct we are born with that makes us look forward to eating these perfect foods. It’s our body telling us exactly what it loves and needs, attracting us to them with a fierce desire in a healthful way.
When we’re in tune with our body’s signals, then it’s easy to make the best food choices for our health. I’m so in tune with my body, that as soon as I put a piece of food to my tongue, I’ll get one of two sensations in my gut. If it’s something I shouldn’t eat, my gut will immediately fill with nausea. When it’s something good for me, I immediately get a calm, soothing wave of energy flow through it. Follow your gut instinct! It’s amazing how our body knows best!
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Glad you enjoyed! That’s what I figure as well. I often have cravings and I trust that I’m in a safe enough food environment now to follow them. Usually it’s just different kinds of meat. Sometimes (usually when I have couple days of lower protein) I’ll crave chicken breast, in the beginnings of my carnivore days I’d crave pork constantly, these days I’m craving raw/rare steak. I just follow it! I figure each probably has something I need and that’s why I’m wanting it. It’s a relief to be able to trust myself now 🙂
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Good post. I can relate to how you say food didn’t thrill you.
I’ve never been overweight, but I’m sure I was developing
severe metabolic syndrome and I ate just to keep from
dying. Now, I’m close to pure carnivore and look forward
to every meal. Not in a bad way. I simply enjoy what I eat.
When I was a kid, I hated broccoli then “learned” to like it as an
adult, but now when I eat it I’m sent back to my childhood
where I can’t stand it again. It was probably that I tolerated
it with enough butter and salt to disguise the real taste.
Looking forward to more interesting things from you.
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Seems this is more relatable than I would have imagined! Glad you’ve found food you love 🙂
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As a veterinarian, and a fellow carnivore, I can tell you that your interjection about our pet’s diet is spot in. 80% of the dogs I see now are overweight. The greatest majority have two things in common. They eat dry kibble and they eat it more than once a day. Considering that most kibble is 30-60% carbohydrate it is easy to see the pattern.
Dry kibble is the cheapest and easiest way to feed, and convincing pet owners to change is difficult. And pet food companies are masters at marketing!
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Highly refined carbohydrate, poor quality protein… yeah, no wonder. I switched my cat over to a raw carnivorous diet and she’s doing wonderfully now. She has/had hyperthyroidism and a heart murmur but after the switch her heart murmur disappeared and she is no longer losing weight. Plus her mood is much improved! I don’t think I could ever go back to feeding poor quality feed for any future pets, any more than I would go back to eating the food that made me sick and miserable.
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I worked with a woman who was skinny, not just thin, skinny. She ate at lunch a regular Coke, a sandwich, and a candy bar every day. I ate my salad with diet dressing and was H U G E.
I didn’t enjoy my food and, of course, everyone assumed I ate boxes of cookies and donuts every day, but I didn’t. Food was definitely not pleasurable.
I follow the Keto WOL living now. I have lost weight, feel fabulous, and enjoy cooking AND eating.
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I’m actually rather glad I gained weight easily – it gave me a huge warning sign that what I was eating was wrong somehow. Of course, I assumed it was just “too much” food, not “poor quality” food, but I got to figuring it out eventually.
If I had been skinny I very likely would still be eating the way I was – and miserable for it. I consider it a blessing. 🙂
I’m glad you’ve found your answer now, too. Enjoy your food! 🙂
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Could this be the link that solves the whole ‘addiction’ issue that plagues so many people for which there is NO solution, supposedly?! I think it is all related, intuitively…this is your moment to became famous…Siohban! 🙂 Also, do you commission shawls or socks?!
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I wouldn’t doubt that some addiction is due to poor food quality, but a lot relates back to trauma. But, it can also be both. I think the food I ate worsened my mental state and set me up for problems down the road, more so than would be true if I’d been nourishing my brain with what it needed.
Also, I don’t commission, but if you see a shawl I post on facebook that you like and I’m not making it for anyone you can ask for it and I’ll give it to you. I’m not quite back into knitting socks yet… I’ve made a few pairs, but I’m out of practice!
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