Zucker Problems

The Zucker rat is a genetically altered and/or selectively bread rat that overeats and becomes fat, without exception. It was reportedly developed for obesity and hypertension research, or at least selected for such research. Now what about us humans who seem to be unable to stop eating? Are we just like the Zucker rat, and have not enough will power to overcome the environmental supply of rich ready foods?

In historical days, most food had to be cooked before they could safely be eaten, and this limited our ability to graze on carbohydrate rich foods. Then came refrigeration, low cost sugar, mass produced cheap food products, and the problem came to the poor; the middle classes developed; now we have a full blown problem without the former physical controls. We are now 100% dependent on individual willpower and food knowledge. Carbohydrates should be fall back foods, not staples. Well, manufactured sugars for sure, should not be consumed by most of the adult population. Sugary foods should not be used as soothers of feeling replacements.

We humans are nasty to each other. We all are too sensitive, and we have too high expectations of each other. Philosophy says we should have compassion and consideration for others, preach peace, practice love, and all learn to get along with each other. We all need each other to a point, then we are too many. Stoics say we should live naturally, and practice virtues. Religions teach falsehoods, and not teach how to get along with nastys, deadbeats, abusers, uncaring and the scum of the earth. We need to learn that, and learn how to deal with those people in our lives who display those characteristics, even when they are parents, other family, guardians, teachers, peers, mates, and the like. Many of us just become nastys as that is what we mostly see, and do not know what we should be like. Many of us learned to eat rather than deal with the people. Now we need to learn to deal with the ignorant, unthinking and nastys.  Nasty people get nasty responses, silence maybe the best response.

Compassion with people who have not learned to be nice is all fine to say, but what about when they are obviously in the wrong. It is not just we are in conflict, but they are logically wrong. Not just my biases, but they are wrong, and happy, unwilling to change? Why should it bother me? Oh well, we just live until we die, and now there are too many humans.

Our ability to not be impacted by negative, and nasty people must be increased to the point we are not driven to seek food as relief. High insulin and high blood sugar are natural sedatives; so did I recognize this and start self medicating, or was the food response coached in; was it a recognition that food would make me larger, I just do not know. Memories abound; what is true and which are false, I have no clue. If it is a true memory, some of it must have indeed happened. Now I need to be able to deal with the nasty and negatives. Avoidance only goes so far.   



   

Baises and eating

We tend to eat as we always have eaten, we ate pulled to it as a strong habit, an epicgenetic drive and a genetic drive with no satiation switch. We are the overeaters, regardless of the actual cause. Perhaps we are not busy enough. When we have no time to eat, it is easier perhaps to stay on a diet, or when there is no food to eat. We have refrigeration, and freezing as methods of preserving. We have supply side control of many products. There are no shortages of food. It is always in our faces. There is no escape.

The only solution is to be able to say no, and mean it, and to live it. That is the problem, the continual pressure to eat in excess, and the genetic drive. In addition, many of us were taught to reach for food first before feeling. That is just one more aspect that drives us toward food.

Our family relationships may also be an issue. The flying fish hook in the face, no more fishing for my own safety, with that person. Also the wild driver, and no letting her drive if I am in the vehicle. Then there is the continual negative outflow of verbal crap, just stop listening, stop caring, and avoid as much as is practical. There is the religious evangelizer, who does not stop, even though I have repeatedly said I am an atheist, there is no god, no supernatural, no after life. You are just living in your dreams. The only thing atheist have in common is a clear knowledge that there is no god and no supernatural, although we tend to be more reasoned. Keeping quite and letting the dervishes whirl becomes a way of life.

In overcoming overeating, we need to learn how to eat properly, but also how to live between meals without food, without social support, without creating resentment from other family members, and similar new things, new concepts and new behaviors. In the end it does not matter, we all just die anyway.