Your Brain Wants Food

Your brain is hard wired to eat. It knows that if your body doesn't eat or drink, it will eventually perish.

Your gustatory receptors give your brain cues to know when needs are being met. It usually tells you when you need water to hydrate, salt to maintain hydration, fats and sugars when energy is low. Your nutritional cravings can change based on what your body needs.

Humans don't have the largest brains in the animal kingdom, but the human brain has unique cognitive abilities. Twenty-five percent of the calories your body requires are just for feeding your brain, even though the brain occupies less than 25 percent of your overall body mass. The calculation is that humans have three times the neurological power of gorillas.

Cooking helps your body get the most out of what you eat. While gorillas spend most of their time foraging for enough food to provide the nutrients they need, you can whip up a meal in your kitchen that contains exactly what your mind and body require for optimum function.

Listen in as Dr. Michael Kavanaugh joins Dr. Mike at University of Montana's Innovators and Trailblazers Symposium to discuss cravings and the brain's role in hunger regulation.