Why we eat too much (and how we can fix that)

This is Dr. Andrew Jenkinson. He’s a Consultant Surgeon specializing in the treatment of obesity, gallstones, hernias, heartburn and abdominal pain. He runs regular clinics in both London and Dubai. What he has to offer us today, though, is insight as to what’s on our table that puts us on his table, and how we can quite easily change that up.

So, why do we eat too much?

First things first: some metabolic calculations. No, we’re not going to require you to grab a calculator here… Your body does it for you!

Our body’s amazing homeostatic system (the system that does its best to keep us in the “Goldilocks Zone” of all our bodily systems; not too hot or too cold, not dehydrated or overhydrated, not hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic, blood pressure not too high or too low, etc, etc) keeps track of our metabolic input and output.

What this means: if we increase or decrease our caloric consumption, our body will do its best to increase or decrease our metabolism accordingly:

• If we don’t give it enough energy, it will try to conserve energy (first by slowing our activities; eventually by shutting down organs in a last-ditch attempt to save the rest of us)
• If we give it too much energy, it will try to burn it off, and what it can’t burn, it will store

In short: if we eat 10% or 20% more or less than usual, our body will try to use 10% to 20% more or less than usual, accordingly.

So… How does this get out of balance?

The problem is in how our system does that, and how we inadvertently trick it, to our detriment.

For a system to function, it needs at its most base level two things—a sensor and a switch:

• A sensor: to know what’s going on
• A switch: to change what it’s doing accordingly

Now, if we eat the way we’re evolved to—as hunter-gatherers, eating mostly fruit and vegetables, supplemented by animal products when we can get them—then our body knows exactly what it’s eating, and how to respond accordingly.

Furthermore, that kind of food takes some eating! Most fruit these days is mostly water and fiber; in those days it often had denser fiber (before agricultural science made things easier to eat), but either way, our body knows when we are eating fruit and how to handle that. Vegetables, similarly. Unprocessed animal products, again, the gut goes “we know what this is” and responds accordingly.

But modern ultra-processed foods with trans-fatty acids, processed sugar and flour?

These foods zip calories straight into our bloodstream like greased lightning. We get them so quickly so easily and in such great caloric density, that our body doesn’t have the chance to count them on the way in!

What this means is: the body has no idea what it’s just consumed or how much or what to do with it, and doesn’t adjust our metabolism accordingly.

Bottom line:

Evolutionarily speaking, your body has no idea what ultra-processed food is. If you skip it and go for whole foods, you can, within the bounds of reason, eat what you like and your body will handle it by adjusting your metabolism accordingly.

Now, advising you “avoid ultra-processed foods and eat whole foods” was probably not a revelation in and of itself.

But: sometimes knowing a little more about the “why” makes the difference when it comes to motivation.

Want to know more about Dr. Jenkinson’s expert insights on this topic?

If you like, you can check out his website here—he has a book too

Why We Eat (Too Much) – Dr. Andrew Jenkinson on the Science of Appetite

We usually preface our “Expert Insights” pieces with a nice banner that has a stylish tall cutout that allows us to put a photo of the expert in. Today we’re not doing that, because for today’s camera-shy expert, we could only find one photo, and it’s a small, grainy, square headshot that looks like it was taken some decades ago, and would not fit our template at all. You can see it here, though!

In any case, Dr. Linda Selwa is a neurologist and neurophysiologist with nearly 40 years of professional experience.

The right questions to ask

As a neurologist, she found that one of the problems that results in delayed interventions (and thus, lower efficacy of those interventions) is that people don’t know there’s anything to worry about until a degenerative brain condition has degenerated past a certain point. With that in mind, she bids us ask ourselves the following questions, and discuss them with our primary healthcare providers as appropriate:

1. Sleep: Are you able to get sufficient sleep to feel rested?
2. Affect, mood and mental health: Do you have concerns about your mood, anxiety, or stress?
3. Food, diet and supplements: Do you have concerns about getting enough or healthy enough food, or have any questions about supplements or vitamins?
4. Exercise: Do you find ways to fit physical exercise into your life?
5. Supportive social interactions: Do you have regular contact with close friends or family, and do you have enough support from people?
6. Trauma avoidance: Do you wear seatbelts and helmets, and use car seats for children?
7. Blood pressure: Have you had problems with high blood pressure at home or at doctor visits, or do you have any concerns about blood pressure treatment or getting a blood pressure cuff at home?
8. Risks, genetic and metabolic factors: Do you have trouble controlling blood sugar or cholesterol? Is there a neurological disease that runs in your family?
9. Affordability and adherence: Do you have any trouble with the cost of your medicines?
10. Infection: Are you up to date on vaccines, and do you have enough information about those vaccines?
11. Negative exposures: Do you smoke, drink more than one to two drinks per day, or use non-prescription drugs? Do you drink well water, or live in an area with known air or water pollution?
12. Social and structural determinants of health: Do you have concerns about keeping housing, having transportation, having access to care and medical insurance, or being physically or emotionally safe from harm?

You will note that some of these are well-known (to 10almonds readers, at least!) risk factors for cognitive decline, but others are more about systemic and/or environmental considerations, things that don’t directly pertain to brain health, but can have a big impact on it anyway.

About “concerns”: in the case of those questions that ask “do you have concerns about…?”, and you’re not sure, then yes, you do indeed have concerns.

About “trouble”: as for these kinds of health-related questionnaires in general, if a question asks you “do you have trouble with…?” and your answer is something like “no, because I have a special way of dealing with that problem” then the answer for the purposes of the questionnaire is yes, you do indeed have trouble.

Note that you can “have trouble with” something that you simultaneously “have under control”—just as a person can have no trouble at all with something that they leave very much out of control.

Further explanation on each of the questions

If you’re wondering what is meant by any of these, or what counts, or why the question is even being asked, then we recommend you check out Dr. Selwa et al’s recently-published paper, then all is explained in there, in surprisingly easy-to-read fashion:

Emerging Issues In Neurology: The Neurologist’s Role in Promoting Brain Health

If you scroll past the abstract, introduction, and disclaimers, then you’ll be straight into the tables of information about the above 12 factors.

Want to be even more proactive?

Check out:

How To Reduce Your Alzheimer’s Risk

Take care!