Q. Why do we overeat? What are the consequences and how to be free from it?

A. When we sit and have a 'delicious' meal, the feeling of satisfaction seems to cover all of our senses. What we crave for that feeling depends on how congested and irritated we are. In such a poor condition, our favorite food will make our condition worse. We continue to overeat, more often, in greater amount.

I have watched many people struggle with food, myself included. However, we are sure now, from the many years of pursuing health, that the cleaner and stronger we are, the less food we will eat and still feel great joy and satisfaction. There are many times during my journey where I put 10 hours between meals on a daily basis, without effort.

During the early days of my journey, I ate all day, even more on a vegetarian diet. It was then that I knew hunger does not occur in the stomach. That sensation we experience in the stomach is an adverse reaction. The stomach acts according to its condition and contents. This reaction that bloats and releases its pressure is, in effect, an acid war. It began at various times during our development depending on our genetic history. Some were born weak. Even in infancy, colic occurred almost daily. However, the acid fire tries to tell us two things: "no more food', and "I must be given a chance to let this fire stop on its own."

I discovered this accidentally when I began fasting. The acid fire usually extinguishes itself between 2 - 5 days after I begin the fast. But if we were to eat through this experience, we would truly make matters worse. Also consider that almost all of humanity does exactly that. Misinterpreting the stomach's storm as hunger is feeding every stroke of failure we endure and every teardrop that falls. We have been addicts all along and the food has been our fix.

In my own struggle with food cravings, I learnt that the brain has a signal telling us not to overeat, but because we are all retarded, the signal to stop eating is delayed 30 minutes. So, I figured out that I was overeating by a third, and I set about to find the exact size of a bowl that held two thirds. When I finished eating, I would do different things --- my phone calls, my chores, my incessant writings, and 30 minutes later, a comfortable feeling of satisfaction would set in. I don't understand the ins and outs of all of that stuff, I just enjoyed the feeling.

True hunger, I found out, is felt in the mouth, particularly the tongue, not when it is coated, where the sensations are lost and can only be awakened with hot spicy food. As health returns, the tongue clears and the tongue becomes more efficient and peaceful.

As I pointed out in other letters, the mind and its deviations in how it operates and thinks is affected more from the physical condition than the mind affects the physical, the latter being the most popular opinion. This revolutionary understanding would open the door to a clearer vision, and we would begin to see that if the body is irritated, we will tend to behave irritably. In other words, the condition of the body becomes our mental peace or war. We would also understand that the bad habits we developed over the years are related directly to the cellular condition.

Hence, if we intelligently fast, the relief that we earn on a physical level will automatically relieve us of some mental burden, such as our old parenting concepts or how we see sexuality, marriage and God. Our feelings in these areas depend on the cellular condition. When the cell is relieved of this negative irritation, we will be released from the mental burden. This is the passport to freedom and the long awaited relief from overeating.

We have the answers all around us, and we are full of the ingredients that can make a great life. I got rid of my cravings for meat, dairy, cigarettes, alcohol, sex and the last cravings I had to deal with, which were produced in the digestive system, my overeating. When I realized that this refinery can convert fruits and veggies into peace and poetry, that's when I realize that this lack of harmony and synchronization produces the much-misunderstood impulsive behavior. And our overeating is indeed an impulsive behavior. Over time, perfect coordination will take place and our irritation and pain is bringing about the birth of our new life.

All the very best,
Ray
July 2004, CA