Nutrition Science

Then Change Something

1. Mai 2022 4 min read

Your body instinctively knows which nutrients it needs – but fad diets and processed foods confuse this millions-of-years-old system.

Then Change Something

In 2022, a new study was published that appeared in my scientific magazines under the title "Humans Have Remarkable Nutritional Intelligence." In two studies involving 128 adults, researchers demonstrated that people select specific food combinations that "provide a balance of different micronutrients" and that "meals are combined in ways that increase their micronutrient content."

The articles themselves actually state that "the results of our studies are of tremendous significance and quite surprising. For the first time in almost a century, we have shown that people are more discerning in their food choices and apparently select foods based on specific micronutrients, rather than simply eating everything and getting what they need by default."

Intellectually, we're torn between facepalm and Louis de Funès ("No, wait, oh!"). Because sometimes you wonder whether scientists are purely theorists, or if maybe one of them occasionally... lives, meaning in this case, simply eats. Every toddler, every ape knows, without knowing how they know, that you don't just eat randomly. This insight is neither particularly significant nor surprising. Of course, the human body has an enormous, millions-of-years-old system to deliberately meet its (micro-)nutrient needs. It goes far beyond individual micronutrients. This somatic intelligence has several features:

Short-term survival must be ensured – we experience this when blood sugar drops too much and hunger strikes (emergency mode)
Conversely, the body wants to eat in a way that suits its metabolism – from a metabolic perspective, a body always wants to protect itself
Here's the general principle: Protein first. A person will always choose the food that best supplies them with amino acids
Precise amounts of micronutrients must indeed be supplied – nutrients that the body needs to function
They must be bioavailable – which is why a child prefers steak (highly bioavailable: zinc, iron, and so on) over broccoli
Foods can only contain enough toxins that the body can quickly eliminate them (digestibility)
And the combination of foods can be chosen in such a way that synergistic effects occur (or conversely, inhibitory effects)

There are certainly other points to add that this system covers. All of this, our body knows, without us noticing and often without us even being aware of it. You can imagine how difficult the balancing act sometimes is – what hoops must be jumped through so that each person can and may eat individually; that is, in a metabolism-specific way.

That's precisely why we speak out vigorously against restrictions. Take meat as an example: humans have eaten it for millions of years – but today it's so demonized that we can assume we'll be forced directly or indirectly to eat even less of it in the future. For some people, perhaps for many, with extremely serious consequences.

This is also addressed by the study's authors: "The research raises important questions, especially in our modern food world. For instance, does our cultural fixation on fad diets that restrict or prohibit certain foods interfere with this intelligence of eating in ways we don't understand?"

And another important point is raised at the same time: "Studies have shown that animals use taste as a guide to the vitamins and minerals they need. If taste plays a similar role in humans, then we could be giving junk food like potato chips and carbonated beverages a false sheen by adding flavorings. In other words: the food industry could use our nutritional knowledge against us, making us eat foods we would normally avoid, and thus contributing to the obesity epidemic."

We believe the researchers have uncovered an important lead here. We confuse our millions-of-years-old nutrient sensing. For instance, through our own behavior (self-induced) or through fake foods (externally induced). Similar changes were observed with zoo gorillas who suddenly became fit and healthy after stopping the practice of stuffing them with pellets. You've probably heard this story by now since we report on it almost every year. And modern research from renowned institutions also shows that "unprocessed foods" have a dramatic influence on how many calories we consume.

Be that as it may: Somatic intelligence exists. Proven.

Then Change Something

Short-term survival must be ensured – we experience this when blood sugar drops too much and hunger strikes (emergency mode)

Conversely, the body wants to eat in a way that suits its metabolism – from a metabolic perspective, a body always wants to protect itself

Here's the general principle: Protein first. A person will always choose the food that best supplies them with amino acids

Precise amounts of micronutrients must indeed be supplied – nutrients that the body needs to function

They must be bioavailable – which is why a child prefers steak (highly bioavailable: zinc, iron, and so on) over broccoli

Foods can only contain enough toxins that the body can quickly eliminate them (digestibility)

And the combination of foods can be chosen in such a way that synergistic effects occur (or conversely, inhibitory effects)

Be that as it may: Somatic intelligence exists. Proven.

Then Change Something

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