Harmful pleasure

This week I got an answer to the questions that nagged me all my life: why unlimited indulging in savory pleasure is not good for you? If we still would like to taste something after we ate a lot already, does not it mean that the body indicates that more food is good for you?

I have read on quora.com answers to the question How did people in the Middle Ages clean their teeth? It turned out that European peoples in the Middle Ages did clean their teeth, but not because they did not want the teeth to decay. They just wanted to smell well. The teeth did not decay even of those people who did not clean them. What?!

Yes, they did not have dental problems. Well, the flour contained grains of sand from the grinding wheels, so it wore the teeth. But the teeth decay appeared only with the introduction of sugar in the mid-15th century when Madeira and the Canary Islands were settled from Europe, and the sugar grown there hit the European market. Then, in 1490, Columbus brought the sugar canes to the Caribbean, and world sugar production steadily increased since then.

The light bulb in my head was lit up! For millions of years, human bodies were conditioned to hunt and gather whatever was out there with very little access to easily digestible sugar or hydrocarbonates for that matter. It was desirable but not accessible, so our body did not develop any guard against the excess of sugar. Evolution conditioned humans to move a lot, to eat a little, and to consume easily digestible food as much as was available. Now we cannot stop wanting it.  

We put in our cars the right gas and oil because, otherwise, the engine will break down. But we damage our body by eating too much sugar and hydrocarbonates.

The good news, one does not need to avoid sugar completely. According to Wikipedia, “A review of human studies showed that the incidence of caries is lower when sugar intake is less than 10% of total energy consumed.” Just avoid the excess and clean your teeth afterward.

So, moderation in food and especially sugar is just healthy. Besides, not being captive of bodily desires helps to develop self-discipline. Don’t we all would like to have more of it? 

By the way, if you google “quotes about moderation”, you will find many great sayings about the benefits of moderation in all aspects of life. The quotes are often attributed to such great minds as Plato or Aristotle.

The problem is, if you try to track down the source, most of the quotes cannot be attributed reliably. I suspect that the stimulus from chasing the pleasure and the excitement from experiencing it contribute to the motivation of achieving something worthy. I suspect that strong pleasurable bodily experiences may bring more motivation to act. Maybe the great people felt it and did not push too far depriving themselves of bodily pleasures. So, did not advise others to live without indulgence too.

It brings me back to the metaphor of an elephant inside me. I have to care about my automatic inner me, so it does not go too wild or not spoil its body through unnatural (but so pleasurable!) food. At the same time, it is better to bubble with energy and motivation, so I can accomplish whatever I want to. The balance is up to you, but pushing the indulgence too far may ruin the body.  

Now, every time I am thinking about my lifestyle, I imagine the lifestyle of my ancestors a million years ago: vast savanna, long walks or runs, little food, mostly vegetables, and no sugar whatsoever.

I close my laptop and go for a walk, a run, or a bicycle ride too.