In his new PBS special, Deepak Chopra would periodically ask the audience, “What are you hungry for?” My answer back to the TV was not what he was looking for. He was saying that we gain weight because we eat to fill a void. So when I said, “Microwave popcorn!” I guess I really should have said, “Confidence!” This isn’t a new concept but Chopra puts his spin on it. A spin that includes lots of bullet points in his presentation. In the age of the Buzzfeed listicle, we need things in bite-size bits. So what are you hungry for? Distilled information!

Chopra begins the program by stating the “outside in” approach to weight loss doesn’t work and you need to observe yourself without judgment to see what is empty inside you. “Observe without judgment.” That’s a tough one. It’s usually the judgment part that says, “Damn. Go on a diet.” He then goes on to say that the power of your emotions can change your body chemistry. Yeah, he even cites some research studies, which I was not expecting. Apparently according to some study that was briefly footnoted at the bottom of the screen, rabbits that were on a high fat diet and were cuddled did not get sick like the non-cuddled ones. Good to know.  Next time there are cupcakes at the office, I’ll ask for a red velvet and a hug.

He does give some practical tips for losing weight. First of all, he says awareness is key. Bullet points!

• Stop and feel your body (I’m assuming not literally.)
• Ask: What are you hungry for? (Take a drink!)
• If you are physically hungry, what is your hunger level?
  • 1 Famished
  • 2-3 Hungry
  • 4-6 Satisfied
  • 7-9 Uncomfortably full
  • 10 Stuffed

(My appetite gauge would look more like this:

• 1 SO HUNGRY
• 2 SO FULL)

Besides asking “What Are You Hungry For?” Chopra also emphasized “Going away from the Yucky and towards the Yummy” both in emotion and in food. Yucky emotions are things like fear, depression, hostility, etc. Yummy emotions are things like love, compassion, joy and other things you feel when you look at pictures of baby animals.

As for food, the Yummy ones:

• Have been recently harvested
• Have natural or organic ingredients
• Are freshly prepared
• Are conventionally prepared
• Are fresh
• Are whole foods with minimal processing
• Do not have GMOs
• Are easily bullet pointed

Yucky foods are “dead foods” according to Chopra:

• Frozen
• Leftover
• Unnatural
• Nuked
• Canned

Otherwise known as FLUNC foods. I can’t help but think that “Leftover” was only put in there to make a good acronym. I fear I’ve become a jaded Pledge Special watcher.

So to go towards the Yummy, Chopra suggests all meals include all of the tastes (Sweet [non-sugar], Sour, Salt [in moderation], Bitter, Pungent and Astringent) and the colors of the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue/Purple, White [I know White isn’t officially in the rainbow but you could argue that it surrounds rainbows. Or not argue it because that would be a weird argument.]). His reason for including all of these at each meal is so that you receive a variety of nutrients and have a satisfying repast. His book, I’m sure, goes into detail on what foods represent which category and how big of a plate you will need.

The third part of the special was more about soul nourishing.  You know, the real hunger. Not the eating-peanut-butter-with-a-spoon-out-of-the-jar hunger. Well, actually we learned those are the same. Anyway, bullet point lists included Mindfulness, Qualities Of the Soul and Getting In Touch With the Source. Lots of food for thought. Get it?!

What else did I learn from What Are You Hungry For? I learned that this is the first special about weight loss and healthy eating that did not mention Omega 3 Fatty Acids or moderate exercise.

I’m in Vegas this week playing roulette. Yes, I realize that game has terrible odds, but all the same I do like the spinning wheel. So while I hypnotize myself and lose money, enjoy this article that was originally posted on www.mandyratliff.com.