EAT WHEN HUNGRY, OR EAT BY THE CLOCK? By Dr. Lawrence Wilson© April 2015, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc.All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition. Recently, I received a call from a client who was very underweight. Upon questioning him, he said that he did not eat much because he is rarely hungry. He thought this was how he should eat, and that it is part of a nutritional balancing program. I told him that he was not correct about this! We want people to eat plenty. Just eat mostly cooked vegetables, even four or five meals daily, if desired. Everyone needs to eat at least three meals daily, or they will become nutritionally deficient today. In part, this is because the food is not that good – even the best organic produce. Also, most people have weak digestion and do not absorb their nutrients very well. Also, nutritional balancing is about remineralizing the body, and this requires eating a lot of cooked vegetables each day. If you do not like cooked vegetables, then please put toppings on them that you enjoy, but eat them anyway, and eat them soft, not crunchy or al dente. Eating raw salads does not count as eating vegetables in our view. WHY PEOPLE LOSE THEIR APPETITECopper-toxic people lose their appetite. Some health authorities tell us to only eat when we are hungry. However, this can be a trap. The reason is that when a person is copper-toxic or zinc deficient, often one loses one’s appetite. Therefore, I do not agree with the ‘eat only when hungry’ idea. A toxic liver often causes nausea. Another reason some people do not eat is they feel nauseous. However, this can also be a trap. It is fine to skip a meal if you very nauseous. If it is chronic, however, then one must eat or you will become nutritionally deficient. If the liver is toxic, which is commonly the case, then coffee enemas, in particular, can usually change things for the better. You may require several a day, but they will often diminish nausea due to liver toxicity. Zinc deficiency causes loss of taste and smell that diminishes appetite. Another common reason for a loss of appetite is low zinc. This is very common today, especially among vegetarians and near-vegetarians, but also in the general population. Excessive stress can affect appetite. Another cause for no appetite is too much stress of any kind. Keeping your stress level low is always a key to healing. Scheduling times for meals, and making sure that the surroundings are peaceful and quiet at mealtime can help you to develop an appetite. A little exercise can help, also, as can plenty of rest and sleep. EATING BY THE CLOCKIn any of the above situations, please “eat by the clock”. This means to schedule at least three meals daily, and sit quietly and eat, even if you are not that hungry. If you follow a nutritional balancing program, your appetite should eventually return. However, this may require months, or even a year or more on a program if your body is very out of balance.