Everything seems novel or extreme until it becomes normalised
One of the questions I ask patients in consultation is: “What’s a typical breakfast, lunch and dinner for you?” You might be surprised to hear some of the answers:
Two Lindt chocolate balls and a coffee (breakfast)
Redbull and a cigarette (breakfast)
Biscuits and a packet of crisps (lunch)
3 litres of Coca Cola per day
No vegetables for several days
Takeaway every night
I am regularly seeing clients and patients who will start their day with Redbull or some other energy drink, can go days without consuming any fresh fruit or vegetables, and consume way too much caffeine and alcohol than is healthy.
About 10 years ago when I started seeing the odd person drink an energy drink on my morning commute to work, I thought it was shocking. And you might say my view is biased because as a nurse, in most cases, I’m seeing people at work in poor health. But, as a member of the community, I’ve noticed how certain behaviours and habits have become more and more common, with energy drinks on the morning commute now becoming normalised. From young teenagers to city workers.
The issue is that at the same time, I’m noticing some recurrent patterns in clinic over the years:
Many people go days without eating vegetables
Constipation is a common complaint. In fact, gut issues in general are a common complaint.
Lots of people skip breakfast or replace it with caffeine alone
A lot of people aren't getting adequate daily movement
Many people feel pressured to get well quick to return to work
A lot of people aren't sleeping well
Many people feel low in energy
I have spent many years working with people who have addictions to drugs and alcohol before I started working in mainstream healthcare services. I soon learned that the general population is also showing addictive behaviours but in this case, to socially acceptable consumables. Looking at this list above, the average person is undernourished, inactive, tired, over-worked, constipated, and stressed out. And to manage this, they are self-medicating.
If we don’t want this to be the norm, the average or the common picture, something’s got to change, and the best time to start is now.
In my opinion, part of the problem is that we are distracted by media into debates about whether the evidence about processed food being bad for us is true or not. Add to that, little legislation over the advertising of unhealthy foods and vapes and no standards over what food is served in schools, we’re up against some big fish. In the UK, ultra-processed foods make up over half of the total energy intake for adults and this is higher for teens (1, 2). But, my take is, even though resisting big food and big media can be difficult, it’s not impossible.
The first step is to recognise our patterns. I know that when I feel worried, I tend to snack on crunchy and salty foods. Or when I’m feeling really depleted, I reach for chocolate. There is a lot of information available online about what cravings can tell us about mineral deficiencies. However, we can’t ignore the role that our mental state, conditioning and habits also play – is it an iron deficiency or is it that you’ve been trying to get by on 6 hours of sleep each night?
From an Ayurvedic perspective, our cravings are clues for what is happening internally, including in our mind. These relate to the three doshas and the six tastes. So, for example, the sweet taste is related to the Earth and Water elements and has a nourishing, stable and calming effect on the mind and body. If we are craving sweet or sugary foods, it might mean that our body is feeling physically deficient (think hypoglycaemia) or mentally and emotionally depleted. This can happen naturally with excess Pitta or Vata doshas. However, we can also crave foods when there isn’t a deficiency. So, someone with a Kapha imbalance (Ama build-up known as toxins), could also crave sweet foods but in this case, it is the toxins that are craving sugar. Let’s use the example of a candida infection. Candida thrives on sugar. It literally senses sugar (3) and this nutrient helps it to take a firm hold, build a biofilm (protective layer around itself), create invasion and become resistant to antifungal medications.
A desire for salty, crunchy snacks could indicate a Vata imbalance either in the form of physiological needs such as dehydration or because increased anxiety or scattiness needs to feel grounded through the sensory stimulation and texture of the food. Ayurveda is able to explain the cravings for each of the six tastes through the lens of the three doshas as well as how they they relate to underlying biological deficiencies or imbalances.
Knowing our why (biological, psychological and emotional), we can respond to our cravings with foods and habits that nourish us and bring calm and sustainable energy. It starts with being really intentional about what we consume – we have to get curious.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not medical advice and should you have any of the symptoms above, please see a health professional in the first instance to rule-out any underlying causes.
References:
1. Chavez-Ugalde et al. (2024) Ultra-processed food consumption in UK adolescents: distribution, trends and sociodemographic correlates using the National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09 to 2018/19. European Journal of Nutrition, 63(7)
2. Rauber et al. (2019) Ultra-processed foods and excessive free sugar intake in the UK: a nationally representative cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 9
3. Van Ende et al. (2019) Sugar Sensing and Signaling in Candida albicans and Candid glabrata. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10