There is no place in Ayurveda, the yogic science of life, for snacking. It’s just not done. Basically Ayurveda considers the physical human as you might consider an animal, deeply connected into the rhythms of nature. There is a time to get up, a time to potty, a time to eat, a time to move, and a time to sleep. All of this is deeply connected to the spinning of the earth in this big milky way party.
Eating is timed with the energies of the earth translated through the doshas of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Yogis are recommended to get up before the sun, drink a glass of room temperature water, move the body, and then meditate. It’s June in Ohio and sunrise is around 6:15 am and getting earlier and earlier. So plan to get up no later than 6 am. This is the end of Vata time on the earth. The energy of Vata came in around 2 am when you started REM and dreaming and is ready to leave at 6 am telling you to get up. The movement wakes up all the little birdies and they start chirping. You, naturally, start to wake up at this time anyway and if you would only just get up, you would feel more alert and energetic throughout your day.
By 7:30 am you will have probably finished your personal spiritual practice or Sadhana. The energy of Kapha has settled on the earth. You feel grounded and stable. That’s why meditation is so much easier as well because your mind is settled. Eat breakfast before 10 am. Kapha is very stable and allows for steady digestion. Kapha also has stamina and contributes to strength during your yoga or exercise.
Don’t eat before lunch. Pitta moves in around 10 am and the fire in your belly starts to grow as the fire in the sky (the sun) reaches the pinnacle of Pitta time at noon. Use 10 am to 12 pm to digest your breakfast and get hungry for lunch. Eat at noon. Because the fire in the sky is so darn hot and the fire in your belly is so darn hot, this should be your biggest meal. If you are a meat eater, eat meat at this meal rather than at breakfast or dinner. Eating only one meat meal each day as a meat eater is more than reasonable as the recommendation is for not more than 3 – 5 servings of meat each week.
Pitta hangs out until around 2 pm and then we have another rush of Vata. Vata wants to move and if you are chained to a desk, this is probably when you start to get cravings for a snack to alleviate boredom. Don’t do it. Have a cup of tea instead and let Vata do it’s thing in your digestive track pushing food and nutrients around to assimilate and eliminate. Let yourself get hungry for dinner.
Dinner time is not within 3 hours of bedtime. If you are going to bed at the recommended 10 pm, that means you will not eat food after 7 pm. This allows the body a “fast” every single night of about 11 – 12 hours. In Ayurveda, this is a most healing time where the body is using it’s natural digestive power to digest food, toxins, and even your emotions without adding further strain through additional food to the system.
So that’s the why. You can see how grazing would mess up this rhythm and diminish your digestive fire and ultimately your immune system and metabolism. But HOW do you do this if you are in a pattern of snacking and especially if you are snacking on processed foods (hidden addictive sugar) and sugary foods?
First, give yourself a break. If you can’t jump right into eliminating snacking, do the follow:
Begin replacing processed food snacks and sugary food snacks with nuts, seeds, fruit, dried fruit, and blanched vegetables. Stick with that for about 2 – 3 weeks until your addiction to all the sugar and your addiction to “convenience” goes away. You do have to learn new behaviors including planning for your snacks and preparing for your snacks and that takes time.
Second, (and this is really in combo with the first, but I know you will struggle with the first so if that is all you can do, you are actually doing really well)….
- Drink a glass of room temperature water with lemon or lime and a tiny hint of salt 30 minutes prior to your meal. You will eat less and feel more satisfied. It will also get you through the worst of your snack time cravings (like when you are starved and making dinner).
- After each meal, take 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. The oil is sweet and cooling and will satisfy your craving for something heavy and dense after a meal. It’s kinda like dessert.
- Treat fruit as your dessert. If you simply have to have something and still feel hungry after a meal, eat fruit.
- Stabilize your routine. Make a weekly plan for yourself and don’t veer off of it. Skipping meals, running around like crazy, and chaos trigger you to relieve stress and snack.
- Make sure your meals are well balanced and contain all the colors of the rainbow. You will feel more satisfied. At each meal have grains, some bean, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and oils. Fruit, as above, is dessert. Spicing your foods creates satisfaction so think outside the box on your current spice habit of probably just salt and pepper. Explore cumin, cilantro, cayenne, and the various peppers to add interest.
- Drink a cup of hot tea instead of snacking.
- Distract yourself from what you are doing and DO NOTICE if you have a trigger for snacking like boredom or stress. Changing your pattern is extremely helpful. So, you feel stressed or tired at work, get up, go to the elevator, go outside, and walk around the building for 5 minutes. Breath deeply in and out and come back focused, refreshed, and snack free. Here’s a link to “triggers” for more info on that>>>
I honor this is hard to do. Do your best and love yourself in this moment as you shift to better habits. OM, Pamela
Kapha times: 6 to 10 A.M.; 6 to 10 P.M.
Pitta times: 10 A.M. to 2 P.M.; 10 P.M. to 2 A.M.
Vata times: 2 to 6 A.M.; 2 to 6 P.M.
*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.