OMG! I just had the BEST epiphany of my life…about cravings.

Why we crave food and people that are bad for us?

My original theory was that we simply need to change our cravings.

They are silly little things that are here by accident. Nothing to be too concerned about. Simply “retrain your brain” to want better things.

However, while working on other video scripts for my youtube channel Nimbly (shameless self plug) I felt a desire to get to the root of this problem.

Because changing your cravings is a hell of a lot harder than it sounds.

And because changing your cravings, if they are just figments of our imagination, shouldn’t be so hard.

When something feels over-complicated to me, I have to deconstruct it to figure out the key that solves the entire problem in one turn.

So deconstruct it I did.

And what I found was freeking phenomenal.

And entirely out of nowhere!

I walked from my thinking spot in the living room to my kitchen to rinse some strawberries. In my tiny loft that requires about 15 steps.

As I stood at the sink, I realized I was craving strawberries and that I must be craving them because my body is deficient in something they provide.

p.s. did you know that is how food cravings work?

We crave crunchy things when our jaw is tight, milk when we are low on calcium, and cheese when we are low on carbs.

I was daydreaming about cravings and how funny it is that the same craving for potato chips can be satiated by carrots because they are both crunchy and accomplish the same goal of loosening the jaw muscles.

And that is when it hit me!

Cravings are not figments of our imagination!

They are mechanisms are brain uses to get us to nourish our bodies with the things we need.

Problem is, with stores full of fake food, processed meats, and toxic crap, those same cravings that once helped us eat well are being used to addict us to food that is especially bad for us.

But if we could redefine what our definition of healthy is we could alter our cravings from the inside out.

By working with the system already in place (need to achieve health>need this resource>crave this food) we can get to the root of the problem and change everything.

If you start with redefining what healthy means to you, you can cause a ripple effect on your cravings.

This is EXACTLY what happened to me over the past three years.

I used to crave fast food, pizza, soda, ice cream, and junk. LOVED IT.

Then, I got diagnosed with depression, ADHD, Anxiety Disorder, and PTSD and basically learned that my brain was one big fat mess.

I started to learn about nutrition and was shocked to find that dollar cheeseburgers do not contain all of my daily nutrients, in fact, they contain just about nothing of use.

I started to see healthy as having more vegetables, less fast food, less alcohol, more water, more sustenance.

I stopped craving fast food almost instantaneously.

Now, I am vegan (three years homeslice, that was not an overnight transition)

And, if you made me eat fast food I would be sick for days. I HATE it. For me it is like eating old gum or cat poo.

I experienced a similar transformation in people I was attracted to, jobs I wanted, and friendships I pursued.

I hadn’t thought much about why this natural shift happened.

I just assumed (being the brain hacker I am) that I had “retrained my brain” and was just super naturally talented at mind control. (I’m slightly conceited)

Turns out, I am naturally gifted, and I did in a way “retrain my brain” but it was so much more concrete than that “woo woo” reasoning.

The brain has an automatic system in place to keep us fed and healthy. We however, being the awesome , top-of-the-food-chain mammals that we are have something called Executive Function.

The ability to decide, to reason, to think.

When we change the fundamental code for the automatic system by defining healthy as fast food and crazy chicks and mean guys, we crave food and people that are bad for us.

By changing our view of healthy to include healthy food, healthy girls, healthy guys, we crave food and people that are good for us.

I think I’ve done enough for one day.

Thank you, and you’re welcome ;)

Don’t forget to check out my videos and tell me if you hate them at youtube.com/kelseynimbly

Also, share this. This is seriously one of the coolest ideas I have ever had and if it just sits here in my brand new, invisible, medium profile, I will be so sad.