Many of us have become completely disconnected from our sense of when, what and how much we need to eat. We’ve somehow ended up eating out of habit, or to satisfy some emotional need.
Less commonly, aside from those in poverty, some people find it difficult to eat enough.
Wild animals are tuned into their natural appetite; if there’s sufficient food available they eat what they need to maintain healthy bodies. Babies know when they need to eat, and let us know in no uncertain terms! They also let us know when they’ve had enough.
You can unmask your natural appetite!
5 tips for unmaksing your natural appetite
If you’re ready to tune back into your natural appetite, see which of the following tips resonate for you.
1. Is it hunger or thirst?
Somehow we’ve stopped discerning the difference between hunger and thirst. And many of us don’t drink enough water, which flushes out the toxins that make us tired and lead to a range of health problems. Tea, coffee, juice etc have to be processed as food, it’s water we need.
When you feel the urge to eat, try drinking a glass of water, then waiting an hour to see if you’re really hungry.
2. Wait until you’re hungry
We often eat meals and snacks out of habit rather than necessity, ending up feeling overfull and uncomfortable.
Unless you’re diabetic or have another need to eat frequently, try waiting until you really hungry before eating. You’ll enjoy your food more!
4. Check what food your body needs
Before eating, or preparing a meal, check out what your body would like. Take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes, drop your awareness into your heart area, and ‘ask’ your body what it wants. Trust whatever comes up through your inner senses: a picture, words, voice or something else. This gets easier with practice.
3. Detox
Detoxing your body helps with all the other tips. By removing the toxins it’s easier to distinguish between hunger and thirst, to know when you’re hungry, and tune into what your body needs.
I recommend the Raw Diva’s 7 Day Free Detox, details at: http://www.therawdivas.com/ After eating raw foods for a week I felt lighter, my waistline reappeared, and I found myself really enjoying simple foods. Green smoothies are a delicious cleanser!
5. Eat plenty of raw and whole foods
It’s easy to become addicted to processed foods, because of the stimulus of the salt and flavourings, and because they are quick and easy. So we keep eating them, often more than we need. Raw foods are packed with vitamins and minerals, many of which get destroyed by processing. They taste wonderful and leave you feeling light and energised, rather than heavy and tired. And you know when you’ve had enough.
I’m now eating over half my foods raw. It’s easy to fit in with family; they have a savoury dish with a side salad, while I have a salad with a ‘side savoury’.
Eating brown rice, bread and pasta gives you plenty of roughage, which is filling and also cleans out your colon.
5. Release the emotional void
If you stop yourself as you reach for the biscuit tin, and tune into your feelings, you’ll probably find you’re using food to fill an emotional void. This might be feeling inadequate, unloved etc. You can easily release these emotions using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) or Sedona releasing. Alternatively you can nourish your heart with the qualities it yearns for, or receive special energy healing to help your appetite become ‘whole again’.
Question:
When do you feel most out of tune with your natural appetite?
Reflection:
In this situation, what is masking your natural appetite?
Action:
What will you do today to start to remove the mask?
If you’d like help to tune back into your natural appetite and let go of the emotions, go to Sessions.
The Delicious Nugget: Part of your body’s innate intelligence is a natural appetite. There are several ways to rediscover your natural appetite and help your body refind its healthy balance.
