** Beyond belly hunger **
Are you using food to try to satisfy hungers it just can’t fill?
As humans, we all have basic desires for feeling: safe, secure, nurtured, loved, appreciated, and meaningful:
“If you have filled these needs, food will be just one delight out of many. But countless people turn to overeating to substitute for what they really want. It becomes a game of switch-up, and they often don’t see what’s happening. Is that the situation you find yourself in? Here are some common indicators.
• You don’t feel secure unless you are dulled by eating too much. Dullness brings a kind of calm that lasts a short while.
• You don’t feel nurtured except when your tastebuds are overstimulated with sugar, salt, and fat.
• You don’t feel loved and appreciated, so you turn eating into “giving myself some love.”
• Your life lacks meaning, but at least when you eat, the emptiness inside can be ignored for a little while.” (pp. 11-12)
Deepak Chopra’s _What Are You Hungry For?_ explores how to truly nourish your innate desires and hungers:
”To be fulfilled is something that food can’t do alone. You must nourish:
• The body with healthy food
• The heart with joy, compassion, and love
• The mind with knowledge
• The spirit with equanimity and self-awareness” (p. 9)
Overall, I found the book to be quiet helpful, insightful, and realistic, and appreciated its integrated approach for using awareness, self/emotional-regulation, Ayurveda principles, spirituality, and healthy eating to nourish the body whole. At times, however, it did feel like I was reading a brochure from the Chopra Center (Deepak’s California resort program), but nothing that a little mindfulness couldn’t pass through. I think his approach is a solid one, and I really resonated with the key message of:
“Life is about fulfillment. If your life isn’t fulfilled, your stomach can never supply what’s missing.” (p. 12)
_What Are You Hungry For?_ is definitely a satisfying read that can help lead the way to finding and fulfilling your true sources of hunger.