Many of us know what foods are considered “healthy,” but sometimes we eat all the right things and still don’t feel great. How can you know you’re eating the right foods for your particular body?
Here are the five signs your body will give you when you are eating the right foods:
1. Food feels light and easy to digest. While you eat, the food should feel light and easy to digest (provided you are not overeating). There should be no signs of bloating, gas, heaviness, mucus, acidity, heartburn, or biliousness during or after you’ve eaten a meal.
In the Ayurveda system of medicine, we find the principle of the “three doshas.” The term ‘dosha’ means a fault, stain, or defilement. They refer to the three main waste products of digestion, namely gas, mucus, and acidity.
The three doshas are:
- Vata (air)
- Pitta (fire)
- Kapha (water)
Each dosha has a primary site of activity or location in the body associated with the gastrointestinal system. The primary site of Vata is the large intestine (colon), Pitta is the small intestine, and Kapha is the stomach. When the doshas become excessive or aggravated in their primary organs they give rise to the following three main signs:
- Vata: gas and bloating
- Pitta: acidity and heartburn
- Kapha: mucus and heaviness
These signs represent the initial stage of imbalance in the digestive system. At this stage, the imbalance of the doshas can be directly eliminated from the body through three cleansing techniques, namely enema (basti), purgation (virechana), and therapeutic vomiting (vamana or emesis). When these imbalances increase and spread beyond their primary organ to other tissues, we will see the development of dysfunction toward deeper and more chronic diseases. For instance, when Vata becomes excessive it will spread to the lower abdomen, hips, pelvis, lower back, nervous system, and bone tissue.
When we eat the right foods, we should not experience any signs of aggravated doshas.
2. You feel satisfied after eating. Healthy nutrition should provide a feeling of satisfaction. It doesn’t means feeling full and heavy, but properly nurtured, supported, and satisfied. At the same time, we should not feel hungry between meals. It is not the quantity of food that one eats, but the quality of food that is eaten and efficient digestion and assimilation that will provide a sense of fulfillment, lightness, and satisfaction. The proper food for your body should be effectively assimilated into your cells to support your physical and mental functioning.
In the teachings of Yogic nutrition, we find the principle of ‘Mitahara’. It means moderation in food. It says that the body should be filled one third with solid food (earth element), one third with liquid (water element), and the other third should be empty (ether element). The digestive tract needs space to breakdown, digest, oxidize, and assimilate the nutrients from food. Overeating, even if healthy foods, will impair digestion, aggravate the doshas, and create metabolic toxins (autotoxemia). We should stop eating before we feel full. When we feel full, we already have eaten too much.
3. We experience sustained energy. Food is designed for nurturing, sustaining, and repairing the body. The right type of food should provide you sustained energy and stable blood sugar levels for 4-6 hours. For example, when you eat the right breakfast, you should feel energized throughout the morning, until lunch time. As the digestive system becomes healthier, the body becomes more efficient at assimilating and utilizing essential nutrients from food, and we will require less amounts of food.
Sometimes while the body is going through a process of rebalancing and healing, it could be necessary to have smaller meals or snacks more often, but it should be a transitional phase of healing and not a goal that lasts indefinitely. While it is preferable to eat smaller amounts of food more regularly than large amounts of food at meal times, some people feel the need to eat every few hours. One of the reasons for this need is related to blood sugar imbalances or low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). The other common reason is linked to patterns of emotional eating. We should ask ourselves, why does the body need constant feeding? Usually, it is sign of a physiologic dysfunction that needs to be corrected.
4. You don’t experience cravings. Occasional cravings for particular foods are normal and should be satisfied. However, regular and ongoing cravings indicate a dysfunction in the body. Cravings have four main causes:
Imbalances in the gut bacteria (dysbiosis). The microbial population in the gut (microbiome) is composed of hundreds of bacterial species, fungi, viruses, and archea which live in a symbiotic and mutually supportive relationship with the body. The gut contains between 300 and 1,000 different types of bacterial species. In fact, the number of cells in our microbiome outnumber body cells by a factor of ten.
The microbiome communicates with our brain via the vagus nerve, enteric nervous system, immune signaling molecules, hormones, and neurotransmitters. When there is a change in the bacterial composition of the gut, it alters our biochemistry and metabolism, and gut bacteria sends the wrong type of signals to the brain. The pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms in the gut will send a message to the brain to eat the foods that will feed them. We should remember that when we are craving junk foods, we are feeding the bad bugs and microorganisms in our gut, and not our own body cells.
Emotional habits. In many instances, our mood and emotions dictate our food choices. In the realm of emotions, similar energies attract. When we feel anxious, bored, stressed, or in a low mood it is easy to choose the wrong type of food for our body. Food is a source of both physical and emotional gratification. Furthermore, the type of foods we routinely eat directly affect our emotional and mental disposition.
Often, we resort to food to offset stress or negative emotions. We use food to avoid feeling a particular emotion or painful memory, or try to fill an empty space or unfulfilled feeling in other areas of our life. In effect, this ongoing emotional craving is called “the energy of habit.” Because energy tends to follow the path of least resistance, habits reinforce themselves and become engrained, becoming easier to fulfill and harder to change. This aspect of sustainable health is connected to our emotional health and is a topic that we will discuss in depth in our second pillar of health.
The good news is that food cravings can be corrected through a holistic program focused on healing the gut, balancing digestion, rebalancing body chemistry, and repatterning our relationship with food. You can learn more about that here.
Neurotransmitter imbalances. Neurotransmitters are signaling molecules secreted by nerve cells that transmit chemical messages to receptor cells. They are vital for our overall health, mood, and sense of well-being.
The gut synthesizes several neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine, GABA, epinephrine, and acetylcholine. For instance, ninety percent of serotonin is synthesized in the gut. Serotonin is called “the feel-good neurotransmitter” because it helps decrease depression and anxiety, improve sleep, and support mood regulation.
Neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine also influence our appetite and sense of satiety. The hypothalamus and brain stem help integrate neural, hormonal, and neurotransmitter signals from peripheral tissues and the gut to regulate energy consumption and eating habits. Imbalances of signals from the gut to the brain are responsible for overeating and ongoing cravings.
Mineral deficiencies. Food cravings can be linked to mineral deficiencies. For instance, deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, and chromium can lead to craving sweets; deficiencies of iron can lead to craving ice and red meats; deficiencies of sodium can cause cravings for salty foods; deficiencies in calcium can cause cravings for fatty foods, cheese, and dairy products; and deficiencies of protein may lead you to crave bread and carbs.
5. You experience mental clarity. The brain is a metabolically active organ with high energy demands. It is estimated that the brain utilizes about 25% of the glucose supply from the heart and 20% of the cardiac blood output.
Have you noticed that when you eat certain foods, especially high-sugar and processed food items, you experience lethargy, brain fog, and lack mental focus? Junk food not only disrupts our digestion and gut health but it also alters the biochemical balance in the brain.
Eating the right foods for the body will support the nutritional needs for the brain. When you eat the right food for your body you should feel mental clarity, aliveness, and mental focus.
There are many ways to tell if you are eating the right foods for your body. If you experience things like bloating, brain fog, cravings, and a lack of energy, the good news is that there are also many ways to correct these patterns. If you are ready to unlock your body’s full potential and regain your health and vitality back, sign up for my new holistic course, The Three Pillars of Health.
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