Why do we eat too much?

We often feel guilty when we eat too much. We blame ourselves for having no self-control and think something is wrong with us. But the truth is that this kind of behavior is totally normal. Our human ancestors lived in a context of scarcity and had to work hard to find food, sometimes walking or running for miles and even scavenging. When they did find it, they went for the high-calorie food that would increase their chance of survival when hungry. This is why greasy foods feel so appealing to us.

Besides, our ancestors’ digestion was slower than ours, as food was not quick to digest. They would eat meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, none of which contained “easy” sugary calories. Their bodies were used to starvation and they had an eat-it-all mentality. When food was available, they had to eat it, as they didn’t know when the next time would be.

Fast forward to today, food is widely available and just a few feet away from us. It’s easy to consume thousands of calories in one serving. Fatty food is now right there in the fridge or at a fast food joint around the corner. It’s like giving your dog access to unlimited amounts of food. Easy calories like soda and candies provide us with a lot of energy in a very short amount of time, leaving our system confused. As a consequence, we become fat and tired.

Despite the fact that civilization evolves relatively fast, biological evolution remains very slow. That’s why it’s important to understand ourselves - why we do what we do and why we desire what we desire. Craving fatty food and eating compulsively are two things our ancestors had to do to survive. It’s essential to consider this to have more empathy, to reduce judgement and to get creative to make our biological instincts work in our favor.

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