New Delhi, January 1 (IANS). Often in everyday life we postpone things by saying that we are not hungry today, we will eat later. Sometimes we manage with tea, sometimes we skip food and sometimes we force ourselves to eat without being hungry, but according to Ayurveda, loss of appetite is not a small or normal thing.
This is the initial alarm of the body, which indicates that somewhere inside the balance is getting disturbed. If this signal is understood in time, major problems can be avoided.
In Ayurveda, hunger is not considered merely the desire to eat. This has been said to be a direct indication of digestive power. When Agni is fine, hunger occurs on time, food is digested well and the body gets the right energy. When appetite decreases or is not felt at all, it means that the digestive system is becoming weak. This condition further gives rise to problems like indigestion, gas, heaviness and fatigue.
Today’s irregular lifestyle has become the biggest reason for worsening of appetite. Sometimes eating late, sometimes eating something or the other again and again, eating heavy food late at night and eating under stress or anxiety – all these habits gradually harm digestion. When digestion does not work properly, food remains undigested. Ayurveda calls it ‘Aam’, which accumulates in the body and lays the foundation for many diseases.
The biggest mistake we make when we are not hungry is that we start eating forcefully. According to Ayurveda, food eaten without hunger is not beneficial for the body. Such food neither gets digested properly nor provides complete nutrition to the body. On the contrary, it increases heaviness in the stomach, lethargy and restlessness, which further suppresses the appetite.
There is a deep connection between hunger and mind. Constantly being under stress, fear, anxiety or sadness automatically reduces appetite. At the same time, due to lack of appetite the mind becomes more unstable. In this way mind and body influence each other and the problem keeps increasing. Therefore, Ayurveda considers not only food but also peace of mind as important.
It is said in Ayurveda that if hunger is right, then half of health is right. For this reason, restoring appetite is considered the first step in treatment. Simple measures have also been suggested to stimulate digestion, such as light use of ginger, lemon and rock salt some time before meals. It is considered helpful in activating digestion, although it should not be considered a substitute for treatment.
–IANS
PIM/VC