Significance of Food Cravings

 Data gleaned from the internet specifies the following about what our mealtimes should be like

In normal times, eat breakfast within an hour of waking (7–8 a.m.), lunch four to five hours later, and dinner 3–4 hours before bed. Focus on nutrient-dense foods—lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and fiber—while eating larger meals earlier to support metabolism and digestion.

When to Eat (Ideal Timing)

Breakfast: Within 1 hour of waking (ideally 6–10 a.m.).
Lunch: 4–5 hours after breakfast.
Dinner: 6–8 p.m., or at least 3–4 hours before sleeping to allow digestion.
Snacks: 3–4 p.m. to avoid extreme hunger.

What to Eat (Balanced Intake)

Breakfast: Combine whole grains, protein, and healthy fats (e.g., oatmeal with fruit,poha, eggs, idli & sambhar).
Lunch: Focus on lean protein + complex carbs (e.g., rice, veggies, fish/chicken).
Dinner: Fiber-rich foods and lean protein, avoiding high-fat, heavy foods to aid sleep.
Snacks: High fiber and lean protein (e.g., unsalted nuts, low-fat yogurt).

Have 8 or more glasses of water to stay hydrated

The 3 3 3 rule for eating is a sustainable, habit-based framework for weight loss focusing on three core pillars: eating three balanced meals, consuming three liters of water by 3 p.m., and engaging in three hours of movement per week. It avoids strict calorie counting, focusing instead on consistent, healthy daily rhythms.

Human metabolism is unique and we should listen to our body instead of blindly following diets.

As children we have intense craving for sweets to meet our growing bodies needs for sugar for instant energy. As teenagers we feel hungry all the time as we are active all the time & our growing bodies and minds need all the calories it can get. As we slowly age our metabolism too becomes sluggish and our food cravings more and more unregulated.

Cravings for sweets after a meal are usually caused by habit, brain chemistry, and blood sugar fluctuations rather than true hunger. Meals high in refined carbs can cause blood sugar spikes followed by a crash, triggering a craving for quick energy, while your brain often seeks a dopamine-releasing "reward" to signal the end of a meal. 
Key Reasons for Post-Meal Sugar Cravings:

Conditioned Habit: Your brain has been trained to associate the end of a meal with a sweet reward, releasing dopamine, which makes it feel like a learned behavior or a "Pavlovian" response.

Blood Sugar Fluctuations: If your meal is high in carbs but low in fiber, protein, or healthy fats, your blood sugar spikes and then rapidly drops. This crash signals your body to ask for quick energy in the form of sugar.

The "Sweet End" Reward: Eating sugar releases serotonin and dopamine, causing a pleasurable sensation.

Nutrient Deficiencies: A lack of magnesium, chromium, or other nutrients can cause intense cravings.

Habitual Taste Changes: Starting meals with carbohydrates (like rice or roti) can cause an epigenetic change that makes taste buds crave sweetness for up to 72 hours.

Psychological/Emotional Factors: A craving can be a form of emotional comfort or a craving for variety, wanting to change the savory taste in your mouth.
How to Reduce Post-Meal Cravings:Balance your plate: Include enough protein, fiber, and healthy fats in your meal to prevent blood sugar drops.
Change your routine: Brush your teeth immediately after eating to signal to your brain that the meal is finished.
Use distractions: Cravings usually pass in 15-20 minutes; try walking, drinking tea, or enjoying a hobby.
Stay hydrated: Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger or cravings

A Crazy World

 We know now that we are living in a crazy world. It is very obvious when we see the happenings all around us:

Wars being fought without rhyme or reason by the most powerful countries in the world. 

Elderly septuagenarian and octogenarian world leaders openly squabbling on social media like ill mannered, unruly and boorish children, justifies Shakespeare's observation that old age is second childishness- sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything," as he famously wrote in As You Like It. Of course, with improvements in medical science, with age we no longer have to be without teeth, vision or taste. Original teeth replaced with false teeth, artificial lens for eyes though of course no long term cure for dementia or Alzheimer's has been found. The real bummer is of course if we find a way to extend human life infinitely.

Wars being fought remotely with cheap drones and unmanned missiles to bomb targets with pin point accuracy which thankfully spares human lives, but conversely drags on for years with no end in sight

Artificial Intelligence being used to create robots and automate work and throw away workers who needed these jobs to sustain their families. The unscrupulous profits made by these companies are then used to fund philanthropic activities by the same companies, get awards, applause, earn brownie points and probably assure themselves of a prominent place in heaven.

People are more connected than ever due to internet. In fact there is a famous study done that shows that every person on earth is connected to every other person. Researchers from top universities (Harvard, Stanford, MIT) analyzed data from millions of LinkedIn users (around 20 million people) which revealed that any two people are only 2–3 connections apart, showing how surprisingly interconnected our world has become.The study focused on how people are connected and how information (like job opportunities) flows through networks.  People have hundreds or thousands of friends and connections yet conversely no one is close and so mental health problems are on the rise. So instead of improving our emotional state more friends and followers are increasing negative emotions like jealousy, unhealthy competition, insecurities, irritation and anger. But being totally off of social media makes us seem weird, friendless, freakish or absurd. 

How cold is your city?

 When the temperature is 26 degrees C :

In October it was slightly chilly, pleasant to have a thin shawl in the evenings which can also be done away with if fashion dictates. Pleasant to bask in early morning sun, though it gets quite uncomfortably hot after 10mins or so. Winter is welcomed with open arms after Kolkata's hot, torrid weather for so long

When the temperature is 16 degrees C:

In November :Nice to have a warm sweater on in the chilly evening time. Time to take out the warm kombol from the mothballs. A cup of hot tea in the morning and evening. The oily paratha and koraishotir kochuri tempt the palate. Mouth watering kotbeler acher, jolpaier achar nolen gurs come into vogue again. Winter is still jolly and nice.

When the temperature is 12 degrees C min and 20 degrees max

In December: Thicker woolens have to be used now. The sun's pale rays are welcomed and the warm sunny spots are crowded with eager sunbathers. It is difficult to digest heavy oily stuff as even gut bacteria seem to have gone into hibernation in the cold weather. Taking a bath seems like a torture task now for most except those with OCD. Its time now for the weekend picnics, fetes, poush melas and good old gettogethers. Winter is still great though, the sun visible strongly on most days 

When the temperature is 10 degrees C min and 15 degrees max, AQI: 250

In January : No sun now for many days. Just a pale, watery, foggy imitation of it. The warmest blankets are unable to keep out the chill in the nights. Touching metal taps and washing hands makes me cringe. The thickest of coats and sweaters have to be extracted from the recesses of the cupboards. Woolen caps, socks and gloves too are required to go out now though they have been misplaced under heavy onslaught of clothes in the cupboard. Murphys law rears its ugly head here too- the thing which you find twenty times over whenever you open your cupboard is never to be found when you most need it. The thought of bathing gives us a panic attack. Flatulence and constpation makes us realise the importance of good gut health. 

Winter has been around too long. Yearning for the bright sunny days again.