Simple Happiness

I suppose we all learnt the First sense of taste and touch as we sucked at our mothers' breasts.
Soon there was the magic of sound and sight, and probably some pleasant smell too.
All Five senses were awakened to welcome us to the Pleasures in life.
No wonder we end up having problems if our basic pleasures are obstructed.
But we never Had to remind ourselves to Not Over- or Under-consume Any pleasures. Looks nature has done a marvelous job to help us become fully blossoming beings.
In my 82 years I never had to ever be concerned about being over- or underweight. After all like every newborn, I too found life itself much more beguiling to Over-indulge in Any activity: Pleasures are all around us, especially those that require the use of arms and legs. As a play theorist has said: Opposite of play is not work, it's depression.
Yes, I've smoked half a pack a day in my thirties and would eat a whole broiled chicken in one sitting but never feeling the need to eat More than what I Felt for. I guess it was because all my needs and senses had near optimal satisfaction: physical, social, intellectual.
It is for this reason, I believe, overweight is a Symptom of out unmet needs. We over-consume in many ways because we are under-satisfied in our vital needs.
Our lives are too precious to need counting and weighing of foods and exertions both mental and physical.
For me 'healthy plate' from universities' health departments are good enough. Half plate is fruit and veggies; a quarter is plant-based or seafood proteins, last quarter complex carbs such as whole grains and brown rice.
And lastly. good music I think is hard to do without.
So far it all seems to keep me away from doctors and meds, few tests. But I have infirmities but will not stop me from living a purposeful life.

@sisyphus
Very inspiring post! There was a well-researched book I believe in the 1990s called The End of Overeating which talked about how food companies conspired to make us eat more of their products by adding, you guessed it, additives that makes of crave more. That’s the only way they could increase profits: make us eat more, and thus the obesity epidemic since the 1980s.
Think of this. How much soda pop can you drink until you feel your thirst is quenched? Okay. Now how much water? That’s the issue with high-fructose corn syrup. It affects your brain so you crave more and more.
That’s not the only substance, but it’s a start. Be careful what you put in your mouth.
-Retired RN

@greengold my docs like me to do the Mediterranean diet with a few adjustments….i can have treats, but small and not too many…keep my eye on sugars and fats. I don’t feel limited at all. Docs also urged me away from all alcohol and fizzy sodas, no problem, plenty else to enjoy !

@sisyphus
Very inspiring post! There was a well-researched book I believe in the 1990s called The End of Overeating which talked about how food companies conspired to make us eat more of their products by adding, you guessed it, additives that makes of crave more. That’s the only way they could increase profits: make us eat more, and thus the obesity epidemic since the 1980s.
Think of this. How much soda pop can you drink until you feel your thirst is quenched? Okay. Now how much water? That’s the issue with high-fructose corn syrup. It affects your brain so you crave more and more.
That’s not the only substance, but it’s a start. Be careful what you put in your mouth.
-Retired RN

@calofmichigan
Thanks for the book suggestion. "The End of Overeating".
This whole foods plant based lifestyle ivstarted 2 months ago has been great for me. It recommends no added sugar, salt or oils. I found that when I don't eat those things I don't crave them either, especially sugar. The more sugar I eat the more sugar I crave. The salt and oils have been slightly different, but seeing my blood pressure and my weight slowly drop has been gratifying. And the amount of wholefoodplantbased food I can eat, has been very satisfying!😊

@sisyphus
Very inspiring post! There was a well-researched book I believe in the 1990s called The End of Overeating which talked about how food companies conspired to make us eat more of their products by adding, you guessed it, additives that makes of crave more. That’s the only way they could increase profits: make us eat more, and thus the obesity epidemic since the 1980s.
Think of this. How much soda pop can you drink until you feel your thirst is quenched? Okay. Now how much water? That’s the issue with high-fructose corn syrup. It affects your brain so you crave more and more.
That’s not the only substance, but it’s a start. Be careful what you put in your mouth.
-Retired RN

@calofmichigan,

The big additives may have been added in the 1980s, but I have come to believe that the start of overeating started in the 1930s after the Great Depression. By 1940s a lot of people were overweight with the vow of "Never going to bed hungry again in their life!"

Quick Quiz:
1. What is the correct amount of meat per day that we should eat? Per DAY not per meal.
2. While we are told we can eat as much vegetables as we want because most of us don't like fruit and vegetables, what is the daily correct amount of Fruit and Vegetables?
3. How much water should we be drinking every day?

Answers:
1. 3 ounces, 85 grams, is the proper amount of meat. Yet restaurants serve 6 to 8 ounces tenderloin or 12 ounce steaks.
2. 3 to 5 servings each weight one ounce per day.
3. 16 cups each 8 ounces ( 16 divided by 2 (Cups per pint) is 8 pints) and divide by 2 again is 4 (2 pints = 1 quart) and last divide by 4 (4 quarts per gallon) is 1 gallon of water. Coffee doesn't count, too much stuff in it. For some, coffee may count against your intake because of the processing it requires.

I researched how serving size was determined. In the USA, the serving size is determined by the USDA. They do it by watching what people eat and take an average to declare that is the serving size. People who are overweight eat more so the serving size is wrong. I have 1 ounce, 28 grams of an unsweetened cereal (measure my cereal) four ounces of almond milk, one small container of almond milk yogurt (Silk Brand), 12 ounces of tea, one slice of bread (no butter or margarine or toasted), I add five bite size prunes to the cereal. My cereals are Grape Nut Flakes, Grape Nuts, Cheerios, Spoon Size Shredded Wheat, and two flavors of Chex cereals. It turns out if you normalize all of the serving sizes to one ounce, all of the other dietary numbers become the same number for all of them, the same calories, carbs, etc.

@calofmichigan
Hello back American friend! I am also a retired nurse.