Mark Twain coined the term in an article entitled “The Appetite Cure” published in 1898…
It describes a practice used at health spas, where providing minimal foods tricked
the mind into “feeling fed” while actually inducing a fast and digestive stabilization.

 

I’m using this term in a different way… to describe a current phenomenon created as the result of the proliferation of “laboratory” foods… although I loathe to call these things food… because the word food intimates that there is naturally bio-available nutritional benefits associated with them… so I’ll call them frankin-foods.

Contrast these with real food… what is food? 

Food is defined as… “material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy”.  Unlike Air and Water, food intake can be sporadic… the only requirement is that the foods provided have nutritional value, as described above. Anything else will create deficiencies that, over time, will manifest into chronic patterns… which – if not properly identified – will degrade into nutritional starvation.

 

Why covert?

Contrast it with overt… or obvious.  Overt starvation conjures up visions of emaciated people in third world countries… it’s obvious that they are malnourished… starving for nutrition.

So, by definition, covert starvation is unknowing or secret starvation.  Covert starvation happens in the presence of lots of available frankin-food… and is totally counter intuitive.  It is – IMHO – the most widespread crisis in the united States and other developed countries… countries where highly developed food laboratories have been busy over the past several decades churning out frankin-foods.

 

What do I consider Frankin-Foods?

Anything that is highly processed… they commonly contain high concentrations of simple sugars, and a myriad of additives to create and enhance appearance, texture and flavors… in other words, to trick our senses and taste buds into thinking it’s something familiar… when it’s nutritionally not.

Another layer has appeared over the past two decades with the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) and related pesticides and herbicides (Round-up type products).  These add another layer of nutritional distress by causing physiological damage to our processing organs… so not only are we eating nutritionally deficient frankin-foods, but we’re also causing physical damage to the very organs that process and need nutrients.  This is causing an acceleration of chronic diseases, many concentrated in the brain and displayed as neurological diseases.  For some reason, western medicine refuses to see the connection and deems these frankin-foods and extensive use of chemicals as not detrimental to our body function and process.

 

Extended Frankin-foods

This refers to the secondary effects of accumulated toxins… which become concentrated in the primary recipient and passed along.  An example of this is poultry that are fed frankin-food items like GMO feed stocks.  The toxins accumulate in them and whatever they produce, say eggs for instance… or when they are harvested… these toxins are covertly there and passed along.  This analysis, shows such disturbing issues.

Sadly, when buyers do not know the complete origin of the foods they are purchasing, they run the risk of being duped by labeling that creates distractions about obvious issues, such as injected antibiotics or hormones… and which directs them away from more important and substantial information about what they were fed during their life.

 

Covert starvation is deceptive… it does not look or act like starvation.

The only real tattle-tale is the constant appetite… of never feeling satiated. The body is actually sending an accurate message… it’s just being mis-interpreted.  Conventional thoughts say it “needs more food”… while the body is saying it “needs more nutrients”… yet we keep giving it the frankin-food… and the body – not finding any substantial nutrients – keeps asking for more… so we set up a vicious cycle that leads to chronic covert starvation and in many cases – obesity… which seems totally counter-intuitive!

 

And where does all this emanate from?

The brain… the most voracious user of energy in the body.  Our brain constitutes about 2% of our mass, yet consumes about 20% of our energy… AND it is the regulator of all of our physiological responses… so it has direct access and input to this nutritional equation. Why is this important to know?  Because when the brain becomes energy (nutritionally) starved, our perceptions and activity patterns are altered. To us humans, that “looks like” something is wrong.  We become more cautious and manifest many symptoms from mood swings to isolation and depression.

 

Human health is dependent on quality nutritionally dense food.

Foods extract nutrients from alive and healthy soil, and carries it to us for extraction and conversion to cellular energy.  Without this critical chain of events… we degrade – physiologically and emotionally… our life view changes.

We should hold the vision of a terrarium in our mind… and realize that this cycle is personal, delicate and vital to our existence, let alone our health.  Continuing to disregard the delicacy and interconnectedness of our cycle of health is disastrous… and it will get worst, if left unchecked.  We will continue to devolve down to a state of primal existence complete with all the emotional patterns associated with distrust and segregation.  The current generations have the ability to set mankind back millennia with this foray into frankin-foods.

 

The really good news is that this is your personal choice.

There is no law or regulation making you consume this frankin-food… the only driving force is experiential… in other words your habits.  You see… food is a learned habit… and food consumption takes on many forms… from tribal, to ceremonial, to emotional.  We develop our food choices and patterns experientially… and once we have them, they become deeply ingrained and a part of our fundamental operating system.

All that means is that we have to exert some conscious effort to remake and relearn more constructive and beneficial patterns.  Many say we need regulation to change this… I disagree.  While these external actions would create a more supportive environment, the real change comes from internal choices and actions.

All you need is an honest personal assessment of your current state of health… and if it’s unsatisfactory to you… in other words, if you are showing signs of physiological or emotional deficiencies… then you can choose to change it.  Once you create that affirmation and make this decision, then you set about doing it by becoming conscious of your patterns and altering them.

That means learning more about the marvel that is your body temple, and how to lovingly care for it.  That most likely will look like changes in shopping or gathering your foods.  It won’t take long to figure out that factory farming and frankin-foods aren’t benefiting you.  You get to have a brand new adventure… finding local farmers and food processors that respect and prepare nutritious foods.  Relish and embrace this change as positive and good… AND support and encourage these sources!

Remember… the only Constant in life is Change.

We are constantly changing… evolving… are you doing so in a balanced and healthy way?

Another fallacy of western medicine is that disease is a normal part of aging.  I guess that’s true if you follow their dietary guidelines… another way of saying it is… “garbage in, garbage out”. Thankfully, there is another way, a faith/trust based belief that the body is a divinely inspired and self-healing entity that sees food as something necessary… to be appreciated and enjoyed, not feared… all with the natural goal of maintaining vitality into old age.

 

Choose Better… Choose Health

We have to – once again – develop a healthy balance of knowing more about our food and trusting those who produce it for us.  Asking questions involves our intellectual centers and helps create the trust necessary for this most important relationship… that of producer/consumer.

Choosing health is as much an emotional/Spiritual focus as it is a physiological discipline.  When we truly believe and own that we are here of purpose… to be part of the loving and nurturing fabric of humanity, then we can more easily assimilate and maintain healthy nutritional habits… we’ll gravitate toward and seek out the things necessary to achieve this lifestyle.

 

I pray this stirs that part of you that desires to be healthy and vibrant. 

Listen and follow it…

It is your highest and best self beckoning you toward your goal of vibrant health and balance.