Several times a day, I get feelings of hunger. I didn’t want to ignore these feelings; I wanted to satisfy them by eating delicious foods. I love the experience of eating delicious foods. The tastes, textures, and smells combine into sensual experiences that are difficult to forget.1 But eating delicious foods comes at a price.

There are costs associated with eating delicious foods. First, delicious foods take time, effort, and resources to procure and consume. Second, the state of the people who eat those foods will change in potentially undesirable ways. Put in another way, the second point refers to the negative externalities in the body associated with eating food. For example, people worried about inflammation may limit foods high in sugar, because they know that sugar increases blood glucose which increases structural protein degradation which increases oxidative stress which increases inflammation.2 My goal of eating delicious foods to satisfy my hunger needs to be revised to take into account the types of costs mentioned above.

I’m looking for an affordable, filling, simple food that stores well and can be safely eaten everyday.

A food that can be safely eaten everyday is a food that isn’t unhealthy. I’m fine if the food doesn’t improve my health as long as the food doesn’t compromise my health.

I used to frequent the bakery aisle for my sweet fix, but then I realized that no matter where I looked, pretty much every item had some form of trans fats. I had no choice but to wipe the entire bakery aisle from my mind. I have considered baking my own sweets from clean ingredients, but there is one problem. The sugar density in sweets is unhealthily high. Sugar contributes to a sweet’s flavor and texture; it’s nearly inseparable from the sweet.3

What about breads? I tried them but even the simplest breads don’t work for me. I don’t think I have a problem with gluten; what I suspect more is the glyphosate, a known microbiome disruptor.4 I have similar problems with corn and canola. In fact, it’s worse since corn and canola are genetically modified so glyphosate can be repeatedly applied to them. Even potatoes aren’t spared from glyphosate contamination.

Many of the things I have tried resulted in bad reactions. Cured meats and cheeses. Fried foods. Nuts. Yogurt. Jerky. There doesn’t seem to be a food that fits all my criteria. The closest foods are meat based dishes where the meat is unprocessed. Good meat is expensive. Meat has a lot protein which makes it filling. Meat can be cooked simply and still be delicious. It stores for almost a week. Simple foods high in protein are generally safe to eat. Having the option of meat based dishes is great but quite limiting. I would like to explore the organic varieties of foods that have failed me before.

Is it even worth spending the time and effort to prepare and consume food to satisfy my hunger?

I need to ask what I could be doing instead and the consider the opportunity cost. It’s actually not my goal to make sure I’m never hungry; my goals lie elsewhere. I need to acknowledge that hunger is a healthy and normal process. It does not require constant intervention. The purpose of food is to give me energy and nutrients to carry out my goals. I need to trust that my body will find an equilibrium based on the food I regularly eat outside of hunger cues and the energy I spend on pursuing my goals.

I’m not a slave to hunger. Food should be used improve and maintain the biological capital I call my body to better serve my goals.

  1. Food doesn’t need to look beautiful. As long as it looks like it is meant to be eaten, it’s good enough for me. Admittedly, the meaning of “meant to be eaten” relies a lot on personal experience. ↩

  2. Look up advanced glycation end products (AGEs). ↩

  3. I haven’t gotten around to testing sugar substitutes. Allulose seems promising. On the other hand, sucralose and aspartame are dangerous. When I learned that sucralose disrupted the microbiome, I stopped eating my sucralose sweetened whey protein powder. ↩

  4. Glyphosate is used to desiccate wheat for harvest. I haven’t gotten around to using the organic varieties that don’t use glyphosate. ↩