Are you hungry? How would you know? Growling stomach? Check. Low on energy? Check. Cranky? Check. Even though the signs can be obvious, it’s a question worth asking yourself—regularly.
Bringing more awareness to your appetite is a first step toward maintaining your wellbeing.
Both Ayurveda and modern science recognize that digestive health is paramount. It is well understood that as the health of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract goes, so goes the health of the rest of your body. And a key indicator of your GI health is the desire for food itself. In other words, hunger is an essential urge and should not be ignored or suppressed.
Healthy practices can be hard to adopt. Start small. Make a habit out of asking yourself some basic questions on mindful eating. Am I hungry at mealtimes? Starving by 10 a.m.? Is my appetite fluctuating? Wildly fluctuating? Non-existent? These types of questions will raise your consciousness about your own wellbeing.
Yet, we—consciously or unconsciously—spend much energy suppressing our hunger urges. We eat sugary foods that give a false sense of satiation. We are coached by “experts” to eat multiple, smaller meals throughout the day. And we have grocery stores full of endless snacking options. None of these is consistent with our natural intelligence, which can create long-term health consequences.
Ayurveda explains that hunger is your natural intelligence communicating the status of your wellbeing. Hunger indicates the strength of your Agni (your metaphoric metabolic fire). It is an indication of when your body needs fuel and how efficiently your body is able to process that fuel. As a general rule, hunger urges should come about every 4 to 6 hours and coincide with regular mealtimes. If your hunger patterns are not consistent with this bio-rhythm, it might be time to take a step back and focus on stabilizing it.
Here are some thoughts on how to work with imbalanced hunger:
Irregularity
This often manifests as variable hunger. Sometimes you may feel like you are absolutely starving, while at other times you almost forget about eating—feeling as if you could go for days without food. Other signs of irregularity might be bloating, indigestion, constipation or gas.
If this sounds familiar, routine could be of great benefit to you. Think about adding structure to your day. For example, focus initially on getting in “three squares a day.” Keep your mealtimes and environment as consistent as possible. Sit down in a pleasant (and smartphone-free) environment when eating. Interestingly enough, your first steps to healthy digestion may have nothing to do with food!
Hingvastak is the “go to” Ayurvedic herbal combination for gas and bloating. This blend helps to minimize its unpleasant consequences and stokes your digestive fire. You should find added relief by avoiding the following: really heavy and hard-to-digest meals, dining on the run and eating raw foods.
Intensity
If you suffer from intensity, you are probably always feeling hungry. Very hungry. You might also notice other signs such as poor digestion, acid reflux, thirst, loose stools or low blood sugar levels. Oh, and Tina Fey’s term “hangry” (hungry + angry) probably hits home! Irritability often accompanies this type of digestive imbalance.
As a quick reminder, here are just a few of many Ayurvedic guidelines for maintaining health:
Adhere to a daily routine. It is ideal to have a healthy regularity around your meals. For most of us, this means three consistent meals a day in alignment with nature:
–Light, early breakfast before 8 a.m.
–Substantial lunch before 2 p.m.
–Simple, light meal, such as a soup, in the evening (before 7 p.m.)Listen to your body. The science of Ayurveda is largely about reading the body’s clues. As such, you should only eat when you are hungry. Hunger is a natural urge that typically happens every 4 to 6 hours.
Avoid snacking between meals. Snacks and energy-boosting drinks interfere with your body’s natural cycle. They are best to be avoided. (Yep, this is easier said than done!)
If this is familiar to you, take note. It might be a call to dial back the intensity of your workout and/or daily activities. Hot and spicy foods, fried foods and simple carbohydrates (i.e. highly processed junk foods) are not your friends. You are probably already sticking to a regular meal schedule, so there are some other items to try to help stabilize your appetite.
Make sure you are eating enough healthy, grounding, nutritious food. For example, sometimes hunger comes from limiting healthy fats, which provide staying power for the digestive system.
Other thoughts for cooling your digestive fire might be taking a “lassi” after your mid-day meal. A lassi is a blend of plain yogurt (1/3 parts), water (2/3 parts) and spices (such as salt, cumin or fennel if desired). Its mild sour flavor dilutes excess acid. A piece of fruit in the afternoon, or periodically sipping on a licorice tea, might also help to bring your hunger urges back into the 4 to 6 hour range.
Sluggishness
This is generally a sign of a weak digestive fire. Other signs might be tiredness after eating, a heavy feeling in your stomach with the meal, cravings for stimulants or sweets and even sluggish bowels.
Experiencing any of these symptoms? If so, it’s a good idea to “lighten up.” Eat a bit less at each meal and focus on “lighter” sources of nourishment. For example, animal protein is especially hard on your system when you are dealing with sluggish digestion. Think about getting your protein from plant-based sources. Bean and rice combinations provide all nine essential amino acids, and so do whole grains like quinoa.
Bitter and pungent flavors will help to stimulate your digestion. Add ginger to your soups, finish your preparations with freshly ground black pepper, or add cinnamon to your teas for additional flavor. Trikatu is the classic herbal combination for a sluggish digestive system. It combines ginger, black pepper and pippili pepper. It will heat you up!
If you are prone to a sluggish digestion, you might need to think about minimizing sweets, dairy and even wheat in your daily diet. These heavy foods can greatly contribute to an imbalance. And if a sluggish digestion is just your nature, consider going down to two meals a day—or eating your first meal in the late morning when hunger appears.
Your appetite and overall health are inextricably linked. Call careful monitoring of this what you will. Mindful eating. Conscious eating. Bringing more awareness to own body. The important thing is learning how to live life in alignment. Supporting healthy hunger urges is a great step in the right direction.
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