In a world obsessed with numbers, we've been conditioned to count everything related to our health. Calories, grams, daily steps, scales, logging - the list goes on. But amidst this numerical obsession, we've lost sight of a foundational truth: the body isn't a calculator.
It's a living, breathing entity, meant to adapt to our daily needs, which actually can't be whittled down to a one-size-fits-all formula. And no day is ever the same.
So what am I saying?
Think of your body as a bread maker. A bread maker doesn’t start at the end of a production line but at the beginning.
Each day, the initial step isn't about adding up how many loaves he has, but ensuring the quality of the process is up to par, and READY to meet the potential demand. He’s asking if the ingredients are pure and beneficial, or have they been compromised in some way? Does he even have enough ingredients for what’s required for the recipe? Is the equipment in working order? He can’t begin unless these are removed and fixed.
Similarly, the body is initially on the lookout for anything that might undermine its efforts to meet the demand: toxins, processed elements, anything that's less than wholesome. Does it have the ingredients for what it needs to function? If it finds such compromises, the priority shifts from nutrition absorption to damage control.
Before it can start 'cooking'—metabolising what we consume—the body is checking the “kitchen” safety and processes are not compromised.
What happens though is that the processes do become overwhelmed , bombarded with too much to clean or repair, and struggles to function optimally. Picture removing 1 weevil from flour as opposed to 1000’s. The body is absolutely capable of removing a few weevils, but not relentlessly. The body tries to use what it can, do what it can and make the best with what it can, but in effect, to the body it’s like a spark that’s spreading to a fire.
So what can we do? We have to understand our body is just NOT hung up on whether your diet plan says you’re reaching your calorie quota or grams per day.
It only knows that to efficiently break down proteins, fats, and other essentials, it needs the right tools—vitamins, minerals, and essentially micronutrients. Its first priority is nutrient density and LESS STRESS! These are the body's currency, far more valuable than the count of food.
The remarkable thing about our body is its innate wisdom. It knows our daily needs fluctuate. Some days, we're a whirlwind of activity, and our body requires more “bread” to be produced to meet the demand. On others, we're more sedentary, so the production line slows, requiring less ingredients, less bread.
The body adjusts accordingly, signaling its needs through hunger, fullness, fatigue, and other cues. Yet, how often do we misinterpret these signals, because someone outside the kitchen has said they know better.
What if, instead of counting and measuring, we started listening? Listening to the subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, signals our bodies send us? What if we don’t sweat the one occasional weevil - as in have a piece of cake, have a glass of wine, knowing our body is up to the challenge of the occasion, that it just doesn’t want the chronic cos it compromises us? What if we don’t class food as good or bad but only class it as is can we make our kitchens better to handle it today?
This isn't about guilt or blame but about recognising the depth of the body's commitment to our well-being.
This isn't an invitation to abandon forms of dietary tracking if that's what keeps you grounded. You do need different food groups but no outside person can say YOU need x-amount of grams this many times a day. It's about enriching your process with a deeper understanding of what truly counts and giving yourself the empowering capacity for self-regulation. If it doesn’t feel right then that’s ok cos only you feel you.
Your body isn't just a random machine; it's a living testament to the miracle of life, and it wants you to enjoy being alive. Every breath, every heartbeat is a reminder of what your body is designed to do - to live.
Count that. It’s an honour.