Does the human body have an intuition of what foods it needs? In the 1920’s Dr. Clara Davis conducted an experiment that seems to have shown that we do have an intuition about our nutritional needs. The experiment took place at a time when food recommendations for babies were becoming more rigid and unappetizing. Parents were finding that their babies were more oppositional to changes. Dr. Davis felt that these new standards were not what babies needed and her experiment confirmed her suspicions.
She evaluated fifteen orphans between the ages of 7 – 9 months, who were given free rein to choose what and how much they wished to eat from a smorgasbord of real foods with little preparation – no mixing foods and no refined or processed ingredients. The 33 foods offered included whole milk (sweet and sour), hard boiled eggs, meats, fish and fish roe, cooked cereals, raw and cooked vegetables, and fruits. The foods were not salted, but a bowl of salt was set out for the babies to partake in if desired.
The children demonstrated an innate ability to select the foods that met their nutritional needs. The food selections varied from day to day. One child ate 7 eggs in one day while another opted for a handful of salt. Some ate more fruits, yet others preferred meats. A child with poor bone structure was partial to cod liver oil one hundred thirteen times on his own accord. None of the children chose to eat a diet dominated by grain and milk. Although each day’s meal was not perfectly balanced the nutritional profile corresponded to what they needed.
As adults, we often eat without any regard for what our body actually needs to perform optimally. We are influenced by the food industry via TV commercials, tempting packaging, and ingredients that are designed to be addictive. If we could avoid polluting our body with modern day processed foods and become in tune with what our body wants to eat we would have healthier lives.
One exception to this would be abnormal cravings. I would describe this as wanting to eat the same food every single day. These cravings are almost always a sign of imbalance in the body and are best addressed with homeopathic treatment.
Davis, Adelle, Let’s Have Healthy Children, New American Library, A signet Book, 1972, p 217