In my late 20s I had a bad chest infection, of which I’ve only had 3 or 4 in my whole 58 years of life. The infection was persistent, even after high doses of tetracycline antibiotics. I was feeling constantly nauseous and unwell, and was craving something but did not know what. Intuition told me that I’d find it in the Adelaide Central Market. So I went to town on market day and walked up and down the aisles of food stalls with no idea what I was looking for (and feeling a bit silly, too).
Cheese? … Really?
Something made me stop at a kind of stall I’d normally pass by as quickly as possible because they smelled strongly of dried fish, fresh oysters, and other things I can’t handle the odour of. However looking at the goods behind the glass, suddenly there was the thing my body wanted!
I still had no idea what it was. A block of some weird greyish-bluish-greenish translucent rubbery stuff, it looked more like a pencil eraser, shoe sole or ‘sea monster’ gristle than food! It turned out to be some kind of cheese, and though I was a great cheese lover then, it did not look appealing at all.
It didn’t matter, because that’s what my body wanted. I bought a piece and went off to try it. It smelled strong but not offensive, was intensely salty and had a weird flavour and texture. But my body said: “Yes!!” So for about 3 days I had tiny pieces of it, no bigger than a fingernail, and loved it!
The Off Switch
About the fourth day I got my weird cheese out of the fridge and could not bear the smell. Something in me had switched off and I felt that my body no longer required it. I had evidently obtained whatever was needed, some uncommon substance or nutrient or microbe not present in my usual food. Crucially, it had stopped the nausea completely and I began to improve rapidly. After the ‘switch off’ I tried a bit of the cheese and almost vomited. It tasted foul and intolerably salty. End of story with that strange cheese!
Here’s what amazed me ever after: how did my body know that in the Adelaide Central Market there was a food I had never seen or heard of before that contained what my body needed to restore itself after the tetracycline therapy?
Spam (and I don’t mean on the internet)
Decades later in 2011 I had another similar experience during a major illness. Again, I’d had a multitude of powerful antibiotics and my guts were very miserable. I was taking a range of probiotics and nutritional supplements, but there must have been something missing. I walked up and down the supermarket aisles ‘following my feeling’ and it stopped me at the Spam shelf.
Spam?! How is that possible? I’m a vegetarian, Spam is meat, it’s preserved and full of chemicals, which I avoid.
But it had whatever that magic thing my body wanted. So I bought a small tin of it, ate it in 2 days, and hey presto! My body got what it wanted and hit the off switch.
After that the mere thought of Spam was revolting again. I got the feeling this episode of craving Spam had something to do with sulphur, but I didn’t really make time to do the research.
Meat
I don’t digest animal protein very well. Usually meat smells, tastes and feels offensive to me. But occasionally, particularly when I’m sick, I suddenly crave meat (usually chicken) and find myself thinking about it against my mind’s will. Then meat suddenly smells good to me and I find myself drawn to the smells in supermarkets and barbecues. So I buy some organically raised chicken. It tastes great, I still have some trouble digesting it and must eat it very slowly with a lot of fresh vegetables, but it works. I know when the ‘switch off’ has occurred, because once again I can’t stand the smell of meat and I don’t feel the need for any more for quite some time.
So I’ve learned: body knows best!
By Dianne Trussell, BSc Honours; 16 years in Biological & Medical Research & Teaching
Further Reading:
The Body Knows
Serge Benhayon on Food and Diet
637 Comments
I find this blog truly fascinating Dianne, you are so very in tune to the needs of your body. I wonder how many other people have similar experiences to share. This is another one of those things we should be taught from day one and in schools that is so important but hardly gets any attention whatsoever.
We have signals from the mind that drive the body and signals from the body that the mind tries to ignore… and the latter ones are the ones to listen to.
I agree Joel it is the ones from the body that are actually the truth. So simple, the body knows what the body needs. The mind thinks what it wants to think in order for it to feel comfortable and safe. The mind only has short term relief and instant gratification as it’s requirement. The body requires long term, sustainable and supportive choices.
As simple as that Joel! Very clearly exposing how much we need to call in a force of lovelessness to dull down the constant messages our bodies show.
Thank you Dianne for a great article, it shows the body knows best if we are willing to pay attention. You show how our livingness is a science in itself, very inspiring.
I so love to read this blog, the intelligence of the body amazes me every time and it is very inspiring to read how you trusted and trust your body, your openness to follow what your body is telling you is definitely amazing!
Yes I agree Annelies. I loved reading this blog too and what Dianne shares is truly inspiring and highlighting how important and natural it is to listen to our body. It shows we have natural knowledge of what foods are good for us and what is not. When we listen to our body, incredible things happen, like the experiences Dianne shared.
The body does know what it needs at any given time and let it do all the decision making
Our body really does know what is best for us …. It’s just learning to listen to that amazing intelligence that is built in to us, and then of course , to act upon it.
Sometimes, I can use sweet or salty foods to distract myself away from what I do not want to be responsible for, such as when I have become aware of something but choose to not give my voice to it. This unspoken expression can sit and fester inside my body, and so to not feel that, I eat. So, we can clearly see here and by Dianne’s wonderful example, how by listening our bodies we can support them on many many levels of communication not only just with ourselves, but with every one around us too.
We often get these feelings with other things too. Like you get an impulse to go somewhere or do something or meet someone and at the time you might not know why but it later reveals itself. I love when this happens.
Yes it is quite something when any and all of these things happen. I also love to observe them and appreciate when they happen. Then I can confirm this as coming from my innate wisdom, which opens up to more.
Yes incredible! I’ve had some of these experiences too and I often come away feeling blown away by it. This is when I feel so confirmed that something greater is at play and God is guiding us.
This is absolutely fascinating. Hats off to you, Dianne, for not letting your mind go louder in reasoning why you should not be eating cheese/spam even though they were not what you would normally eat. I just love this playful, detached attitude of yours. Very inspired. Thank you.
It is amazing how much our bodies do know and can feel all of the time, more than what the mind can often comprehend and even imagine to understand. When know more today than ever about the nutrition of food and what our bodies need on this level but our bodies have a clear intelligence as the animals of the animal kingdoms know exactly what to eat yet they do not have the minds to know the food as technically as we do. Our minds are lightyears behind the livingness of our bodies
I love your sentence Joshua: “Our minds are lightyears behind the livingness of our bodies.” So true …
Brilliant Joshua I agree. It seems the more intelligent we think we are the further away we become from connecting to the true intelligence of our body. It’s becoming more and more obvious to me how our minds can be used to drive us into separation, from people and from ourselves.
With equal doses of playfulness and huge respect, you have shared the immediacy of wisdom our bodies have. There is no hesitation, no indecisiveness just clear signs and indicators to support our navigation through life and supermarkets! Thank you, Dianne
What is a blessing for humanity is that Dianne applies this same intuitive knowing and sensitivity in her presentations to us all on the integration of science, philosophy, and conscious presence, and religion, opening a doorway that we can all walk through and experience more of the interconnectedness of all things and with ourselves.
It is great to read about the wisdom of the body regarding food choices, especially as it is so common for people to override that wisdom. Through embracing the simplicity of connecting to our bodies and listening to them presented in Universal Medicine workshops, it has become very clear to me how our current way of life is ingrained with many social and cultural practices, beliefs and ideals created to keep us from making that simple connection and truly making choices for ourselves, while believing at the same time we are.
I loved this Dianne, other than being truly remarkable, it is an incredible confirmation that the body has a wisdom that if you allow it, will support and guide you better than the mind ever could.
Dianne- I loved reading your wonderful lived experiences of how you body knew what it exactly needed in the way of food, when you were sick. Living proof that when we truly listen within and honour what is felt our body responds positively. It is not about giving our power away to a theory or belief of what we should eat.
Beautiful sharing – listening to and connecting with our own body flies in the face of diets and fads which tell us what our body needs. Honouring our own bodies allows us to find what is right and true for us – rather than giving our power away to a theory or ideal.
Developing a respectful and attentive relationship with our bodies is really transformative. All the wisdom, guidance and advice we need is there, literally at our fingertips. Then we simply have the choice to listen and respond or not. I love the moments when my body ‘announces’ something that flies in the face of my everyday routine or practice…not only am I being offered current wisdom but I am also being invited to question any set beliefs or patterns that I adhere to without consideration.
Exactly Sarah _ I find that too, the more I listen and take action the better my body feels, my energy levels go up, and things run smoothly.
This is great stuff and supports us to make choices that are right for us. If we get practised at listening to our body and what it needs around food, we can learn to listen to our body all of the time and bring our our inner-wisdom to all aspects of our lives.
I love how you make things so clear, understandable and relatable Diane. I know exactly what you are talking about when you explain listening to your body but you really do take it to another level. For instance, you would say you are mostly vegetarian as you don’t digest meat easily but you eat meat when you feel from your body it has a medicinal purpose. You really demonstrate here it is about defying mental constructs when it comes to food and the knowing is held in our bodies. You inspire to be alert to perils, that is, ideals that can sneak in.
This blog I found very interesting. It exposes how we can use our minds to control the food we eat. When I have not been well I have tended to go for comfort foods, realised this was not supporting me and then tried to control my eating by basing my food intake on what I ate when I was well. I would fool myself after I had eaten the food into thinking that it must be good for my body because it was what I regarded as healthy! This blog has revealed to me that even when I am unwell my body knows what food is needed to support it; to listen and to trust is key. Thank you Dianne for sharing.
I find it amazing to read how you just follow your intuition and find exactly what you need, the body is a wonderful all knowing mechanism, we only need to be open to it and truly listen.
I found your blog really interesting Dianne, especially about how you are sometimes drawn to meat even though you are a vegetarian, and it helps you. The reason I find it so intriguing is because people who have certain diets to me seem to identify with those diets (such as being a vegetarian/vegan), but although you choose to eat in a certain way, you are not bound by the mind set that that is the ONLY way to eat. You are open to eating outside of what you would normally go for because you put your body’s needs first. What a novel way to approach food!
I agree Jessica. I have been a vegetarian and a vegan and I can say that I was controlling my body through the mind. I have eaten lamb for sometime now and I love it; it nourishes my body; I know when my body requires lamb… all of my body lights up and I have a strong feeling that comes from within to have some. I am so pleased that I chose to listen to my body a few years ago otherwise my body would have been missing out on this much needed food. It poses thought, are there other foods that are not in my diet that would support me?
Diane what a sensible and sensitive body you have. I am learning to listen to the discomfort that some foods bring and I try to develop more sensitivity as I go along. Our body is an amazing science instrument at our fingers tips. It is up to us to look after it lovingly and purposefully.
What you share here is very revealing and amazing. It shows that if we do not loose ourselves in the distractions of life and give room to the messages our body so clearly gives us, it is very simple to know what health choices to make.
It is incredible that the body knows that exact ingredient that will support it to be well. The thought of letting go of all ‘processed belief systems’ and just allowing yourself to be guided by your body is lovely. For it to specifically be able to lead you to choosing the right foods is like there is another form of intelligence going on!
How cool Dianne, that you listened to your body despite the cravings being quite bizarre but that your body got what it needed! There have been times when I have craved odd things and had a little and then left it alone again. I so enjoy feeling what my needs are rather than deciding what to eat from habit or practicalities or social pressures.
Wow Dianne, I will never think of food in the same way again. What was good for me last week might not be good for me today. What could be good in a very small dose might be detrimental in larger portions. The other thing I was amazed to learn is that even when I am ill, I can “follow my nose” to what I need, quite remarkable!
Very true Bernard. When we commit to truly evolving, there are no rules to follow, only a guiding impulse of what is needed in that exact moment in order to deepen and expand. Our bodies are forever following this rhythm but our minds often step in the way with their convincing display of should’s’ and shouldn’t’s, endless comparisons to others, fixations on ideals, investments in beliefs etc. and generally bringing in a whole heap of confusion in order to muddy the water and upset the flow of what would otherwise so naturally be.
Hi Dianne, I love the way you write! This blog has inspired me to start to really listen to the feedback and messages from my body. Describing these as ‘on’ and ‘off’ switches really shows what our body is saying to us. Similarly to a number of the exoerinces others have described a friend of mine was also quite unwell recently and had tried various treatments to help but to no avail. He is a vegetarian but all he could think of eating was fish – eventually he went and bought some fish and not long after eating it his health began to improve.
A friend was telling me of a similar experience. She does not normally eat ginger but found it really supportive as a medicine however if she had too much, the medicinal effect was overridden by side effects from the ginger.
The body is a truly remarkable thing with an intelligence of its own as your examples prove. I am certain that the more we listen to it the more it can communicate to us although I have to admit to often being resistant to its messages and overriding them, so very much a work in progress.
This is a vastly different approach than choosing food based on taste and how amazing that weird cheese contained an ingredient that your body was calling for.
It’s so interesting the way the body knows. I have craved things in the past when I was sick and they were not things I usually enjoyed, then didn’t. I knew at the time that it must be something I needed but it didn’t occur to me that the body could be communicating this all the time if I would only listen.
This is a great example of listening to the body when it comes to food. I have found the messages to be the strongest, or it could be I am more willing to listen, when I am unwell. Ealrier this year I was suddenly unwell and spent the night in hospital. When I returned home I really wanted chicken soup which was made. Someone said to me ‘what are you doing ..you don’t eat chicken?’ But I knew it was what I needed. I ate it for about 6 days and then after that no longer felt like any and haven’t since but I could feel how supportive and nourishing it was at the time.
Absolutely Dianne I can’t argue with that! Body does indeed know best, we may play tricks with ourselves and attempt to convince otherwise, however put something in it doesn’t in fact need, it will let you know it.
I absolutely agree Dianne – the body does indeed knows best. We actually respond to our body’s messages all the time but often don’t appreciate, one that we are doing this, and two that our bodies are reflecting to truth of what is needed in that moment. Like we when we feel the cold we put more clothes on. When we deepen this awareness and connection to our bodies we can then begin to realise and appreciate the gift our bodies truly are to us. Our very own living markers of truth guiding us to live harmoniously.
I heard a similar experience a woman had when she was pregnant. All she craved was cabbage – she later found out it had a lot of Vitamin K which was something her body needed during pregnancy. What your story highlights for me is to really listen to the body and honour what it feels even if it is wanting you to give it food outside of your usual dietary requirements. It usually is a short term as you found Dianne. Sometimes I find the short term requirement is an opportunity to be honest about why I am craving a certain food which can be very healing within itself, even if it is not a certain microb the gut needs. It is very sweet to read how you knew where to go even though you didn’t know what you were going to buy. There is so much more going on that is quite profound.
Yes, there is a connection in pregnancy that really does not like to be messed with when it comes to food choices. I have a friend go for chick peas and parsley by the bucket load in pregnancy – perhaps looking for iron? I have also had a friend wanting to eat junk food incessantly and while there may have been good reasons for this I suspect they were not medicinal. Pregnant or not pregnant we are all faced with discerning between our cravings and the wonderment of our bodies true wisdom.
Thank you Suzanne, awesome sharing about the food cravings. It is really amazing to learn to listen to my body and trust what it’s telling me. Sometimes I get missed messages and that’s because my thoughts get in the way and I can then go into doubting what my body natural needs and is communicating. I love reading about topics like this because I am learning to listen to my body more and more. By truly listening to our body this can be very healing and like you said quite profound’.
Dianne, I loved reading your post and the humour you brought to your approach what your body was telling you. We can often allow our head to override what our body is clearly telling us because of what we are told about food. By staying open and honouring what we feel from our body it can guide us to eating what is truly supportive.
Dianne, I love your experiments and how you let you body guide you, even when your mind had absolutely no idea what but your body did, and that you were open enough to consider things well outside your usual things to eat. It’s how we can be with our bodies and it shows the huge wisdom of the body when we allow ourselves to fully embrace it, how it works – that’s what I like about your experiment, how you had a real marker of when was on and when was off. The truth is we all have this but we need to cultivate it, and live in a way that is body centric rather than mind centric as we’re often actively encouraged to do.
Dianne this is brilliant what you have discovered about the body sending messages as to what it requires to heal. This is powerful what you have presented and shows a loving choice to respond to the body.
How extraordinary that the combination of biochemical, neurosensory, physical, and clairsentient awareness all takes place within this amazing vehicle that we inhabit.
This is an amazing account of the body’s wisdom, and the simplicity of following what it is telling us. I’m curious to know what it was in the cheese that worked for you Dianne! This also blows out the window all the various diets around…considering our body knows exactly what is going on within it at a cellular level, then it makes sense it would be the authority on what is needed – it just means our minds have to let go of the control whilst we work with our body.
Its amazing how your body knew what food to eat as a medicine not an indulgence.