What is real hunger? How to identify real hunger?
Ideally, we experience true hunger only twice a day. Once, in the afternoon hours, when the sun is highest in the sky and other in the evening hours. But when we eat more than that, which we usually do, our digestive mechanism is damaged and flawed.
Let's understand what true hunger really is- Suppose you are craving food and somebody serves you a bowl of salad. Whether you eat it or not determines the nature of your hunger. Maybe you were craving just for something appetizing (french fries, tikkis, pakodas, etc) and not really feeling hungry.
Another way to recognize true hunger is by experiencing the “ Burp of Hunger”.
About 5-6 hours after eating, the food in our stomach is dragged down to our small intestine, whether or not the stomach was able to digest it. Once our stomach gets empty, it shrinks and some air from it travels to our mouth. This type of burp is called the Burp of Hunger. This burp is odorless and tasteless. Our body feels very light when we experience this.
However just because it is called Burp of Hunger does not mean that we start eating immediately after we experience it. In reality, through this burp, our stomach tells us that the digestion process is complete and now it needs to rest for a little while. As a result, you should eat 1-2 hours after experiencing the Burp of Hunger. This is when you will feel a good hunger.
According to Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, “Eat only when you feel true hunger. Eating without feeling hungry is equal to welcoming diseases.”
We invite innumerable diseases to our bodies when we repeatedly eat without feeling hungry.
Some important guidelines to be observed:
● If you are suffering from an acute disease (cold, running nose, vomit, diarrhea, fever, acne, and pain), physical and mental exhaustion, stress, anger, fear, etc. avoid eating until you have completely recovered.
● Do not eat if you do not have time to rest after eating, especially if it is your main meal of the day. For example, if you are too busy at the office and have to rush through your lunch, replace it with a bowl of salad, and take your grain meal at night. Also, eat your dinner at least 2 hours before going to sleep.
● There is a common habit of drinking tea, coffee or smoking post-lunch. This interferes with the digestion process.
● While eating, the rule is to fill ½ your stomach with food and leave 1/4th for digestive juices and 1/4th for air. Never overeat.
As also mentioned in our scriptures-
“Annen puryedardha toyen tu tritiyakam Udarasya turiyaansham sankrakshedvayucharne” (Gheranda Samhita- 5/22)
Translation-
One should fill half the stomach with food, one quarter with Water and the fourth quarter should be reserved for the movement of the air.