I dream of cheeseburgers

So, it has finally happened. I wanted meat. I have had dreams the past couple of nights about eating meat. Why? I don't feel hungry. Am I missing vital nutrients?

I think I found the answer with the boys... We had errands to run, so I opted for a stop at a healthy stir fry place. When the boys chose it, they immediately asked if they could eat "anything they can wanted". I immediately said, "hold on, I'm not the one imposing these dietary standards, this is something we all decided to do together." They started pleading with me, as kids might beg for sugar while in line at the grocery store. So we had a good conversation about not turning me into the enforcer on the whole experiment. That this was all intended to be a learning experience, not punishment. Dylan had some insightful, comments about how it makes me the bad guy, and how that wasn't fair. Elias wasn't really grasping the concept but shrugged it off.

We ended up having some good conversation about how, as kids, they are at the mercy of adults to feed them, and how that resulted in them not really taking agency in their food choices. (yes, "agency" is my word, I'm summarizing here.) Which basically trains them to the become sneaky about angling for treats, and then over-indulging whenever given the opportunity. Couple that with the fact that sugar and fat is now super-injected into everything from peanut butter and pickles to ketchup and soup, it's no wonder we grow up to be food addicts...

The scariest part is that unlike cigarettes or heroin, you will actually die if you stop eating food all together. You have to learn how to eat in a way that won't trigger the addiction tendencies. My body feels better on this diet, the kids tell us that their bodies feel better on this site diet, but even that good feeling is not enough for them to voluntarily give up the adrenaline rush that comes with sugar/fat binges. Will my rational thinking be able to win over the ancient, and biologically reinforced drive to consume sugar/fat?