A person needs food to live. Our body is designed in such a way that it needs about 2.5 thousand calories daily. And this huge amount of energy is needed only to maintain normal vital functions.
But the energy composition of food is only half the problem. Its chemical composition plays an equally important role. Therefore, the legendary phrase of Hippocrates that “we are what we eat” will never lose its meaning and importance.
The rapid development of civilization over the past hundred years has given most of humanity the opportunity, if not overeat, then at least live without feeling hungry. Naturally, the solution to this issue was not without excesses. A large amount of high-calorie food did not in any way temper a person's appetites, therefore, in developed countries there are many residents suffering from problems diametrically opposite to hunger; these include, first of all, the problems of obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Throughout human history, hunger has been one of the most pressing problems. This is explained by the fact that the growth rate of the human population has always significantly outstripped the possibilities of agriculture. Undoubtedly, in the middle of the 19th century, thanks to the emergence of modern methods of growing plants and animals, as well as food production, the situation improved slightly, however, the problem of hunger was not finally overcome.
According to modern futurologists and forecasters, in about 100-150 years, we are all facing another energy and production crisis, due to the rapid growth of our numbers. The only solution to a possible problem is a set of measures consisting of three points. The first is birth control or a significant reduction in its growth. The second is to reduce the consumption of energy resources. And third, the most painful - reducing food consumption or at least maintaining it at a level slightly exceeding those same 2500 calories.
In this regard, in the most developed countries began to popularize various methods and ways of "reducing consumption". Like mushrooms after the rain, publications, books and TV shows appeared, urging to abandon excessively expensive and high-energy foods and switch to cheaper and less nutritious foods. Every year there are hundreds and thousands of "new" diets and methods for both weight loss and a "healthy lifestyle". Naturally, business representatives did not stand aside either. A huge range of weight loss products, balanced diets, food "bioactive" supplements and others have been present in every major supermarket for a long time. Sometimes the situation comes to absurd manifestations; for example, a thing like low fat dairy is anything but dairy.
Separately, we should talk about the so-called "preventive starvation", which are also trying to popularize in every possible way. Moreover, sometimes the argumentation looks quite ridiculous. The favorite method of such popularizers is to tell stories that in ancient times people fasted and therefore lived well, they were all strong and healthy, and everything was wonderful with them. Moreover, it was wonderful, precisely because they fasted for almost a third of the year.
This story lacks only such an element as milk rivers and jelly banks. Alas! Fasting was not conditioned by any questions of physical or some kind of "spiritual" cleansing. People simply had nothing to eat, or rather, there were reserves, but if they were consumed in the usual, "not lean" mode, they would simply not have been enough until the first harvests of the next season.
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However, to justify such ideas, it should be noted that short-term, no more than 2 days, fasting can really be useful for the body, especially in a "well-fed" society. First, the gastrointestinal tract is resting. Secondly, brain activity is activated. But, do not forget that fasting for more than this period negatively affects the body. Normal functioning of the liver and pancreas is impossible without food, frequent hunger tests lead to acute forms of pancreatitis and cholecystitis. And as for the brain, the activation of its activity from hunger has such a mundane and base justification that it even becomes somehow ashamed of your body.
The fact is that of these 2,500 calories, most are spent on brain work. It is not for nothing that the brain has its own separate circle of blood circulation. And even in spite of this, our brain is designed in such a way that it always strives to rest, to reduce its energy consumption. This process happens by itself, regardless of our consciousness. So, when the brain sees that the amount of "fuel" is sharply reduced, it subconsciously understands that a person must do something in order to find food and all the work of the brain is aimed precisely at making us try to look for food. This is a natural process; one might even say instinct. And, in fact, there is nothing positive about fasting for the brain. This is a banal mobilization of the remaining resources to find new ones.
The actions of followers of a raw food diet and vegetarianism look no less absurd. They elevate their diet and their culture of eating to absolute and consider all those who disagree with them to be savages. Unfortunately, most of them and their followers simply do not understand the issues of human physiology. Man is one of only a dozen omnivorous species. This is no less an important survival tool than intelligence. After all, omnivorousness helps to find a replacement for any product in the absence of it, and, as a result, to survive in conditions of reduced dietary diversity. However, omnivorousness has another important nuance: it allows, due to a large selection of food products, to spend less energy on their assimilation. For example, you don't need to eat sawdust to introduce carbohydrates into your body - eat apples! So why limit yourself in your diet,replacing meat with soybeans? After all, meat is easier to digest than legumes.
Proper nutrition is the basis of health and longevity. The main thing is to reasonably combine the quantity and quality of food. In order to prevent and cleanse the body, you can starve, but you shouldn't build it into a cult.
