Why is it that we have to choose foods for nutrition first, flavor second
In caveman nutrition, I mentioned that cavemen chose food based upon taste. This worked well for them. Our sense of taste was designed to help us thrive in an environment with a scarcity of calories. In such an environment, calorie dense foods were the ultimate prize. As such, we are wired to view foods with lots of calories in the form of sugars and fats, as tasting good. Very sensible, in a world with few calories to find, where starving to death is a real possibility. When a caveman found such a food, he would eat as much of it as possible, because he never knew when he would find it again.
Fast forward 10,000 years or so. We live in a world with too many calories, which are far too easy to obtain. As if that weren't enough, we also have the ability to arrange these calories into unnatural forms, combining the fats and sugars and removing those meaningless vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
What does this mean to us? It means that in order to emulate a caveman's nutrition, you must use your evolved brain. Where a caveman could follow his instincts to the types of food he should eat, you must think about what you are eating every time, and choose the foods for their nutritional value, NOT their flavor.
There is nothing wrong with food tasting good, but that must not be the primary objective, if you wish to eat healthily.
More on just how to choose the proper foods in the next entry.
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