Occasionally, I hear something and DING – a light bulb goes on inside my head.  Suddenly, years of confusion or struggle are brought into the light and everything seems to make sense.   I believe the catchphrase of the day for this kind of moment is, “an aha moment.”  That it happened for me, does not mean it will happen for you, but here is the information anyway…

In very basic terms, we humans are part of the animal kingdom.  Animals use their teeth to show control with other animals, to show aggression or to warn, and to defend themselves when attacked.  As babies, we use our mouths to explore the world as well, but we learn very early on that it is not okay to bite.  We learn it is not okay to put our teeth on people or things if we feel attacked or even if we feel the need to assert control over them or a situation.

This diverted animal instinct leads us to put our teeth on food.  Biting someone is not acceptable.  Biting food is acceptable.  The feelings associated with this need become labeled as unacceptable as well.  To dissipate all that aggressive energy we turn to the acceptable – food, eating, chewing.

So, a basic animal instinct that is not being allowed to be played out is the cause of my issues with food, and may be an underlying cause of obesity?  Hm.  I dare say it makes some sense.  I will do some more research and get back to you with more.  In the meantime, if you see me baring my teeth and growling, it is NOT because I am hungry, so stand back.