If you’re thinking about trying a new diet to improve your health, increase your energy and possibly even to lose weight, then you may want to consider The Human Instinct Diet. I have no idea if this term has been coined or copyrighted yet, it just sounds agreeable to me at this point.

When you compare us to other species, ALL other species, we are the least instinctual. I challenge you to identify all your assumed instincts that have not been previously learned. It can get pretty confusing differentiating between our instincts and learned behavior because one of our greatest strengths as a species is our ability to adapt and conform to our environment and needs.

If we’re to bestow the all-impressive title of ‘instinct’ to one of our traits, we should be careful in doing so. If this human protocol is programmed into the deepest recesses of our brain, nervous system, trillions of cells, and DNA perhaps, then can it really be questioned? Again, when it comes to hunger and eating, things can get blurry.

We are of course omnivores, because no matter which way you slice it, we seem to be able to digest most types of food if they are appropriately prepared, i.e., cooked, soaked, preserved, ripened etc. But just because we ‘can’ eat a thing, does it mean we should? And does it make that food an ‘instinctual’ or ‘ideal’ food for our health, energy, and longevity?

What are your ideal foods? Simply, the foods that appeal to you in their raw and natural ripened state. Skipping the nerd science answer for now, these are the foods that smell really ‘good’ to you when they’re ripening on a tree or vine. These are your best, most ideal instinctual foods. I guess you could call them superfoods, but they’re only ‘super’ compared to the garbage foods most people typically eat.

This is usually where the disconnect for most people occurs. Their mind immediately goes to one or more of a thousand different promotional ideas supplied by the food industry and many other sources. “But I thought we needed this much of that, and that much of this in our diets” and so on. The brainwashing and influencing knows no bounds.

Your body is made up of about 70% water by weight and 99% water by molecule. Even if you go with the low figure, it still makes ‘you’ predominantly water. Let that sink in a bit. Now consider that the majority of that water is what is known as ‘structured’ water and has been found to be the actual source within cells for their electrical functioning. All plants and animals create this water within.

So again, when it comes to genuinely appealing foods that are alive and well, fresh, and abundant with water and structured water, which of them appeal to your sense of smell, taste, and texture? Which ripe and raw fruits and vegetables appeal to you? Again, forget about nutritional suggestions from others right now, just follow your nose for the moment and see where it leads.

Now for the ugly part. Please skip this next section if you are squeamish, already vegetarian or vegan, or very happy living in a fantastical delusion of delicacy and tradition. However, if you are someone who claims to be a descendant of a caveman and pushes carnivorous behavior like a religious cult leader, then you are unfortunately obligated to read on to preserve any sliver of honor. 😊

**********Warning – graphic nature below, of nature being graphic with itself**********
So, you think you’re a carnivore? Here’s a description of how real carnivores eat according to their instincts so you can compare. First of all, predators don’t usually eat other predators. They prefer plant eating animals for their nutritious composition. Second of all, when they see and smell their prey roaming, they immediately begin to salivate, and all other bodily hunter mechanisms go into action. They chase, pounce, and kill all with their naturally provided physical abilities and innate weaponry. They immediately begin to rip open the animal’s underside and proceed to eat the intestines first. This is where they instinctively know the predigested high-water-content food is located. They then go for the organs for water content and dense nutrition, and then they start lapping up any blood, again for its high-water content, etc. If there’s any remaining appetite, they will usually go for bone marrow before snacking on skeletal muscle tissue.
**********Warning above**********

So, most of us have heard someone say, “If I had to kill and prepare my food, I’d become a vegetarian.” It’s obvious that real carnivores instinctively do quite a bit more than a human hunter and butcher, and at the very least this knowledge may help us to begin to break free from the brainwashing.

Again, this article is about the ideal diet for humans, one that promotes high energy and health. If it were purely about survival or weight loss, then all bets are off, and we as humans have a lot more options than just high energy food.

My advice would be simple. Don’t overthink it. Go to the market and pick out all the fresh fruits and vegetables that look or smell appealing to you. Bring them home and test them out. Be mindful, as you prepare and eat them, of their high energy and high-water content. This may be the healthiest water you ever consume, even if it’s not organic!

As always, if you would like to learn more about weight loss techniques, personal training programs or simply how to rehydrate your body for optimal health and function, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a consult.