Following on from ‘Messages from the Body to the Mind about Food’, here are more revealing ‘body-knows’ stories and how the funny but wise messages continue …
Eating Chilli – Bucket loads!
In 2010, whilst living in a country rental property, I became very ill from a couple of rat-borne diseases, which resulted in lots of ambulance trips, powerful antibiotics, heart and kidney damage, and time admiring the walls of many Emergency Departments. The doctor gave me three possible actions for dealing with extreme debilitating nausea from the antibiotics:
1) Do nothing and suffer
2) Take anti-nausea drugs and put up with more side effects, or
3) Eat all day
Great choices! My doctor and I came to the same decision together that the least harm would come from eating all day. It worked to stop the nausea, but combined with the lack of exercise due to illness, I put on about 9 kg of fat. As my health improved though, this extra weight did not want to shift.
Then in April 2014, whilst at a Universal Medicine Retreat, suddenly my body said: “Give me chilli – LOTS of chilli, please!” I’d always loved chilli but only in tiny amounts as I’m very sensitive to small amounts of things. Suddenly I was eating chilli – ‘bucket loads’ in fact – without ill effects and my body was utterly joyful about it. My eating (lots of) chilli went on for a few weeks, then the off-switch message from my body engaged, and although afterwards I felt to regularly consume more chilli than I had before, it just wasn’t in ‘bucket loads’!
Halving My Meal Portion Sizes …
The other message from my body when I got home from the Universal Medicine retreat was, “Eat half what you normally eat”. I don’t eat much normally and the less time I spend in the kitchen the happier I am, so I can get on with ‘more important’ things. Aside from that I just generally don’t eat a lot or in large portions. So halving what I already eat? Outrageous!
I ignored this message from my body and went ahead and ate my normal-sized small meal of safe, simple, nutrient-rich foods.
Oh the discomfort!! – awake almost all night with a painful, distended stomach! So I decided I would listen to my body and when I halved my meal portion sizes I felt much more comfortable. Not only that, my body brought my weight back to what it knew was healthy for it, without my dieting or imposing some target on it. For me, the meal portion size message is particularly to be obeyed in the evening. If I go to bed having eaten even a bit too much, the results are disastrous!
My Vinegar Pain Message …
Pain has often been the signal for me to drop various other foods too. It is an interesting message from the body and personally, I don’t like switching it off with painkillers if at all possible.
To me, that’s like turning off my smoke alarm and ignoring the fire in the roof.
Pain for me is there in the first instance to tell me that something is wrong and that I need to find out what’s going on and then take action.
I manage for as long as I can without painkillers whilst finding out what the pain is about and then, if it’s still intense and or ongoing, I do relieve it with medication.
Recently I got another message from my body which involved pain and vinegar … I used to love vinegar, I mean really LOVE it – especially salt and vinegar chips, my grandma’s amazing pickled onions, my Russian father-in-law’s awesome dill pickles, tangy mayo, salad dressings with balsamic, etc. Then one day I noticed that if I ate vinegar I was in pain in my stomach shortly after. Every time. And it got worse. Being a ‘science head’, I checked that the problem was actually the vinegar, and yes it was.
I liked to have balsamic vinegar in my salad dressings and I knew that all the other ingredients in the salad were ‘safe’ foods for me – just plain veggies. Only the vinegar was in question, as it seemed to be the common factor when I experienced pain upon eating. Made without vinegar – no pain; made with vinegar – pain; made without vinegar – no pain. I did a few trials both ways with otherwise the same ingredients to be sure. My body knew! No more vinegar for me!
The Sugar Meter …
The next ‘body knows’ story is a classic too. Years and years ago, I noticed that if I’d eaten something with a huge amount of sugar in it, meaning sucrose from sugar cane, a few days later I would get a tiny ulcer on my tongue. Whoopy doo … well no, not trivial – the pain from that tiny ulcer was unbelievable and went on for 3 days. So in the past when contemplating some yummy sugar-laden enticement, like golden syrup dumplings, or a block of chocolate, etc., I would be faced with a choice: a few minutes of sensual pleasure followed by 3 days of oral agony, or say no to the treat. I usually listened to the message from the body and said no.
But as the years have gone by the ‘sugar meter’ on my tongue has become more and more sensitive. At first it was only extreme amounts of sucrose that shot the dial and the pain up into the ‘red’. Then smaller amounts did it and the ulcer formed a bit quicker. From taking a few days, it was now forming within a day of a big sugar hit. It really stopped me eating those sugary delights.
This process went on, until the ulcer would form within minutes of eating even a small amount of sucrose.
As a biologist I marvelled at how quickly a piece of intact, healthy tongue tissue could rear up into an enduring, red, painful welt in response to a little bit of one chemical.
But the body’s reaction to sugar didn’t stop there. As my sensitivity has increased, I have also found that there are certain unprocessed raw foods in my diet that my body reacts to and that I can no longer eat. Sometimes I get a slight ulcer from eating things that apparently have no sugar in them. Evidently my sugar meter is also a lie detector, revealing sugar in foods when it is not even listed on the packaging!
The Body Truly Knows …
The more I listen to my body the more I am developing the ability to be open to what it has to say so that I can pick up all the messages, no matter what odd form they may take. I now know to not ignore or override the messages from the body, however they come. First I listen, then I hear, then I choose to do what I’m being shown! It’s true – the body knows!
By Dianne Trussell, BSc Honours; 16 years in Biological & Medical Research & Teaching
Further Reading:
On the Topic of Food and Diet
Making Healthy Food Choices: Stop Connect Feel
The Truth About That Apple and Me
789 Comments
I think we have to take our hats off to our inventive ways that we have produced foods and liquids that keep us a million miles from the truth of who we are by stimulating our bodies so that we cannot feel the divine essence we all come from.
Wow what an amazing blog showing us all how wise our bodies are and how much we can over ride it, just so that we can have a sweet sensation in our mouth for those few seconds before it is swallowed.
It’s interesting how clear our body speaks. The more we follow its messages, the clearer we listen to them
The body holds an ancient wisdom the mind will do its best to avoid.
There’s a lot of grump that goes on about food intolerances from other people who eat whatever they want without being aware of any effects. The grump comes from not understanding the reason behind the food restriction but whenever I explain that when I eat something, the body does x,y,z. Then there’s an understanding and no grump about it.
The more I explore my connection to my body the more I feel it has a wisdom and intelligence, and it communicates from this very directly if I am open to listening. It’s very humbling and awe inspiring at the same time.
The more I trust my body and feel what it wants the more life unfolds in wondrous ways.
I love this, lately I have gone back to loving garlic, for the last two years I have not cared for it where as right now I can not get enough.
Listening to the bodies needs means we take our self empowerment back.
Dianne, this is really interesting; ‘Pain for me is there in the first instance to tell me that something is wrong and that I need to find out what’s going on and then take action.’ I can feel that so often we try and get rid of the pain with tablets rather than seeing the pain as a message from our body and discovering what message our body is giving to us.
Our body is an amazing and accurate science lab.
And it is always honest.
It’s great to read this because I’m currently suffering from something I’ve eaten and my body is speaking very loudly, so much so that I can’t ignore it. So, a process of elimination it is for me over the next few weeks.
There are so many ways our bodies communicate with us. Another example I remember is when I made home-made granola with fresh fruit and soya cream, and ate this for 3 days in a row for break-fast. Directly after eating, I had the most intense hot flush that was so uncomfortable. I knew it was not the granola, or the fruit, it had to be the soya cream. On the fourth day I used almond milk instead and I had no hot flush…. a simple experiment with no hot flush!
Our bodies do know exactly what will support us at any given time including when we are ill. I was a vegetarian for some 14 years, but when ill, I got the message to start eating meat, and I did, and I found my body loved chicken and lamb and my body was truly satisfied afterwards – and I am happy I listened because eating meat again was a great support for all the harsh treatment I had to receive!
“As a biologist I marvelled at how quickly a piece of intact, healthy tongue tissue could rear up into an enduring, red, painful welt in response to a little bit of one chemical” – absolutely Diane, it shows the level of sensitivity the body has and the extent to which we so often ignore this [sensitivity of ourselves].
So true Linda, it is like a vicious circle. If we do not care about our bodies we will not listen to it either and Vice Versa.
What we learn from our body is so much more sustainable than that what we learn from our head.
Our bodies are incredibly wise, and could teach us much if we are open to listening to them.
In my recent travelling, I found that my body is very clever in explaining what I could eat and not when I was in foreign countries with for me unknown food traditions. But to let me be very playful in my trial and error exercise. Very lovely to feel this holding support of my body.
Our body does truly know, it is extremely wise and so supportive of us if we choose to listen and honour what is being conveyed, ‘The more I listen to my body the more I am developing the ability to be open to what it has to say so that I can pick up all the messages, no matter what odd form they may take.’
I was recently with one of my teenage grandsons who was not feeling very well, sharing with him how I have discovered, often the hard way, that my body is my best friend and always talking to me. A couple of hours later he said he wanted something to eat; not sweet and not savoury but sour. When I asked him what he felt his body wanted he said, a lemon. So, I squeezed half a lemon into a glass of water and with the first swallow I saw his shoulders drop and his whole body, which had been very tense, relax. It was absolutely amazing to witness his body’s response; it was definitely talking very clearly and how wonderful he listened.
I agree Fiona, sometimes we get in a routine of eating the same thing and cooking in the same way due to it being convenient and time saving and then we find meal times dull and boring. How can food be boring when we listen to what our body is asking for in the way of support and nourishment?
I have found too that while I am attending a Universal Medicine Retreat, workshop, presentation or even during a session with an Esoteric practitioner that messages seem to come to me loud and clear – beautiful markers to feel in my body supporting me to learn to distinguish the difference between messages/thoughts that enter the mind and the messages being communicated from my body.
Our bodies are an amazing barometer of what is not true if we are only willing to listen – I have noticed that my throat feels like it is closing up when I eat certain foods which is a sure sign that I need to stop eating whatever it is, being stubborn I usually have to test it out a few times before I concede that it is now off the menu but my body certainly thanks me when I choose to listen to it.
Our bodies are really wise, and know exactly what is needed in each situation, perhaps it would be wise of us to listen.
I have tried my best to shut down and override that sensitivity that we all have, but sooner or later those choices catch up with us and the body speaks to us very loudly. The more choices we make to take deep care of ourselves, the more amazing we feel- cared for, deeply loved and cherished- just what we’ve all wanted and all from within – and the more anything that isn’t of that same quality really stands out. I once would have winced at the thought of taking care of myself – just so unnecessary when there is so much to do! – but now I feel that compromising and sacrificing my body isn’t worth it in terms of the quality of what I do and how connected I feel to myself and others in that less cared for state.
Dianne, reading your article I can feel how so often we choose our diet from our parents, from reading books and following advice – rather than from what feels ok and not ok in our bodies. What really stands out in this article, is that our bodies know what foods we need and so to listen to our bodies and observe how they respond to certain foods feels key.
Dianne, I really enjoyed reading this article. I love that your experiment with different foods and how they feel in your body. This feels like a great way to choose what to have and what not to have – very simple and clear.
Listening to our bodies is the most loving thing one can do, deepening that relationship helps to deepen all other relationships.
I loved what you shared Dianne, if we have a listening ear the body is sharing so much to us all of the time, I remember when I used to eat sugar and milk together in a dessert my tummy would get bloated, a horrible feeling, so that was the end of sugar and milk, I have recently been noticing how the size of my meals effect my body and even though I am quite thin I feel I don’t need larger meals to try to put on weight any more. I like the feeling of a lighter body rather than feeling heavy.
And this isn’t just with food, the body knows what job is needed, when and how to sleep or speak, how to dress and pretty much everything else in life.
So true no need to agonise about making decisions – just ask the body…
Lately I have been having a food craving for chicory, I had never even brought this type of vegetable before but since trying it at a Universal Medicine Retreat I have not been able to get enough!
Interestingly I was late on my period this month and when reading about chicory one of the benefits was it helped bring on late periods.
Love it how when we listen we do know.
Sometimes I can eat a meal and I know it has hit the spot, it feels really lovely eating it and I feel really lovely after it – as opposed to some meals where I know deep down what I am eating is not what my body requires and therefore the after effect is definaitly not so hot.