Food creates an illusion of security. An abundance of food can represent opulence, wealth, and well-being, while a scarcity of food can mean poverty, instability, and unsatisfied hunger. A history of yo-yo dieting, eating nutrient deficient foods, financial insecurity, PTSD, and even starvation might leave you feeling scared or uneasy about food availability. A good example might be someone from the Depression era; the persistent, suppressed hunger from a poverty-stricken childhood often leads to a fixation on food, a "finish your plate" mentality, stinginess, and a general unease when food is unavailable during adulthood. The residual fear of this childhood impoverishment lingers even after finances and food intake have stabilized, leading to a tendency to hoard food, overstock the fridge unnecessarily, or an uneasiness without food.

You might feel uneasy when food is unavailable if food is your primary means of emotional comfort and stability. Turning to food each time you feel upset or lonely may create feelings of panic when your means of emotional support is missing. One of my clients described her anger to me after taking a special herb called gymnema sylvestre. In India gymnema is called `Gurmar' which means sugar destroyer. It numbs your ability to taste sugar. My client describes the panic she felt when, after a long, stressful day at work, she took her herbs and then sat down to eat a brownie. The brownie was supposed to bring relief from her difficult day. It represented a little treat to herself and reward. But instead of the pleasurable and affectionate sweetness that was supposed to wash away her care and concerns of the day, the brownie tasted like sandpaper.

At first, she became angry. Several days later, she realized that the sugar destroying effects of gymnema forced her to actually confront the emotions she was feeling for the first time. She became fully conscious of her habit of using using sugar to cover up her feelings. In the end, gymnema strengthened her resolve to find more supportive solutions to her emotional struggles.

When food becomes your go-to way of calming uncertainty or pain, you might feel uneasy when it's out of reach. You might feel upset when you can't get the relief you once felt from eating compulsively or indulging in a sugary treat. As with my client, it could also be a good thing and strengthens your ability to confront and resolve some of your emotional struggles as well.

On a physical level, heart congestion can also lead to a kind of underlying panic and uneasiness when separated from food or other means of security. Heart congestion happens when the blood is too thick and rich from eating a diet high in rich, sweet foods. The thick blood is hard to circulate and you feel as if a heavy object is squeezing your chest. Heart congestion feels a bit alarming. Everyday activity feels overwhelming and may even trigger panic attacks. Heart congestion is considered a kapha condition.

Warming spices and bitter herbs can lighten a heavy heart and may relieve uneasiness and panic. Fasting from sugar and empty carbs, cleansing your lymphatic system, and taking blood thinning herbs like turmeric can help restore a feeling of lightness in the chest as circulation returns to normal.

Please check with your medical doctor before making any changes to your health & wellness routine, and for the proper use of these products.

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DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care. Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Ayurveda categorizes in a simple and easy way, using biocharacteristics (gunas). Biocharacteristics are qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the effect a food or herb has on your body. Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism. Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism. For 'Uneasy when food unavailable', you should select foods with the following biocharacteristics. Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.

Digestion:

Appetite Suppressant

APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT

Suppresses hunger without causing weight gain.

SEE ALL 'APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT' FOODS / HERBS

Mind, Stress & Sleep:

Antidepressant

ANTIDEPRESSANT

Herbs that lift feelings of depression, benefit the mind and improve mental function.

SEE ALL 'ANTIDEPRESSANT' FOODS / HERBS

Respiratory-Health:

Decongestant

DECONGESTANT

An herb that reduces mucus production often by restricting blood flow to mucus membranes.

SEE ALL 'DECONGESTANT' FOODS / HERBS

Heart & Circulation:

Cardiac Stimulant

CARDIAC-STIMULANT

Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.

SEE ALL 'CARDIAC-STIMULANT' FOODS / HERBS

Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

AVOID ACCUMULATION IN STAGE OF DISEASE 0

UNEASY WHEN FOOD UNAVAILABLE IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE 0 - POTENTIAL CAUSE

Potential causes increase and disturb your imbalanced doshas and biocharacteristics, causing them to accumulate and spiral out of control. For example, if you're overheated and eat a chili pepper, heat may become excessive and cause disease. As a dosha or biocharacteristic accumulates in your body according to your dietary and lifestyle habits, it is more and more likely to cause disease. You can reduce an imbalanced dosha or biocharacteristic in two ways, by removing, or lessening the frequency of aggravating causes from your diet and lifestyle, as well as by favoring balancing diet and lifestyle practices. For example, try eating something as cool as a cucumber when you're overheated, instead of a chili pepper. (See all disease stages on JB)

GET MY FREE AYURVEDA BODY MAP 'Uneasy when food unavailable' is likely to aggravate the following doshas and biocharacteristics. If you have a systemic imbalance of one of these doshas or biocharacteristics, Ayurveda would generally recommend removing, substitute or lessen the frequency of 'Uneasy when food unavailable'.

Are you prone to a problem with 'Uneasy when food unavailable'? Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Weight by taking the free weight loss quiz:

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The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Uneasy when food unavailable'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them. On average the biocharacteristics of people reporting Uneasy when food unavailable were more aggravated than 59% of other symptoms. From the 4,533 people who reported Uneasy when food unavailable in this research study of 74,671 individuals, average deviation in biocharacteristic levels were the following:

Risk Factors of Uneasy when food unavailable

Complications of Those Reporting Uneasy when food unavailable

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