Not feeling like eating? Tired of throwing away your food just because you don't feel like eating? Want help to increase appetite? If y...
Not feeling like eating? Tired of throwing away your food just because you don't feel like eating? Want help to increase appetite?
If you answer yes to the both of the questions above, you might be experiencing loss of appetite. This loss of appetite is known as anorexia . In this case you have very less desire to eat and you eat sometimes just because you have to . This can cause serious issues like extreme weight loss and constant fatigue. It will interfere with your daily normal life.
In this article we discuss about how to increase appetite so that you lead a healthy and happy life.
What causes loss of appetite and do not increase appetite?
The reason for loss of appetite can be most physical and psychological. When a person is suffering with psychological problems such as anxiety and depression , he/she loses the desire to eat.
Physical causes loss of appetite:
common causes:
- Cold , flu, bacterial, viral infections
- Gastroenteritis
- Respiratory problems
- Constipation
- Upset stomach
- Digestive issues
- Acid reflux
- Food poisoning
- Allergies
- Food allergies
- Pregnancy
- Hormonal imbalances
- Stress
- Alcohol and drug use.
Medical conditions:
Medical conditions are an important cause. There are certain medications that cause loss of appetite. As a result you are unable to concentrate on eating hen you have physical ailments.
Medical conditions include:
- Irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease.
- Addison's disease
- asthma
- diabetes
- Kidney disease.
- Liver disease
Moreover, there are some other conditions as well. Basically, you are at ill health physically . As a result there is loss of appetite . In addition to these conditions, their drugs also have a lot of side effects. The side effects of mos of the drugs are related to stomach upset. The most common side effects associated with medications is constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Hence they will make you anorexic .
If your mind and body are not in the normal state to function , this leads to loss of appetite.
However, loss of appetite related to physical conditions can be treated and goes away gradually as treatment progresses. But, conditions in which mental health is required are very hard to identify and diagnose.
For example, if you are suffering from depression. You might never understand this . Depression causes loss of interest in everyday activities. Therefore when you are depressed , there is loss of appetite associated to it. If you notice your friend or a family member suddenly not eating enough , he may have got depression.
Other psychological causes:
- Anxiety
- panic
- stress
- grief
- eating disorders.
- Other mental disorders also result in loss of appetite.
Serious illnesses:
In serious illness, you lose the desire to eat. The people in later stages of a condition like cancer or HIV etc. experience 'Cachexia' . It is a term for muscle wastage , weight loss and naturally loss of appetite.
Diagnosis:
A doctor will ask you about the symptoms and the reasons why you feel like not eating at all. The doctor will then examine your abdomen for any possible bloating ,lumps or tenderness.
He/she can can also ask you to do some tests such as Blood tests, X-ray, endoscopy etc.
10 Home remedies that increase appetite:
Ginger to increase appetite:
Ginger is one of the best home remedies to increase hunger. It contains compounds that help with digestion of food inn the stomach. Ginger juice is known to help you get rid of the nauseating feeling.
Ginger can be used by having ginger tea . It is very simple to make . Just add ginger chopped into a glass of boiling water.
You can also have ginger candies or ginger bread cookies.
One of the most effective way to have ginger is in the following way:
Just take 1 tbsp. of freshly grated ginger and add some honey or sugar and salt to it. It is very tasty and helps with your digestion which makes you less nauseated. Ginger increases hunger.
Carom seeds to increase appetite:
Carom seeds is easily available. It is known to add flavor to many dishes, but did you know it is a great appetite booster. Carom seeds contain flavonoids and terpenes. They help in getting rid of nausea and help in digestion. Carom seed water is an age old remedy for stomach bloating and to increase hunger.
You can make carom seed water in the following.
Take a tbsp. of carom seeds . Add them to 1-2 glasses of water and boil until the water changes to light yellow. Then have this carom water 30 minutes before lunch and dinner. This will help to increase appetite.
You can also use carom seeds along with cumin seeds . Just crush 1 tsp. of both the seeds. If you want to avoid the spicy flavor, then you can add a little bit of sugar.
Garlic to increase appetite:
Garlic is known to be an appetite booster, apart from its anti inflammatory activity. It has a strong flavor which increases the desire to eat. Garlic also helps in digestion and is a tasty seasoning too.
It is very easy to use garlic and it goes with every food. Just add garlic to your salads, toast and even to veggies. This will increase flavor . This will also make you eat more.
However , you should take garlic cooked most of the times . This is because , raw garlic is very strong in flavor and may not be palatable to most of the people.
Indian gooseberry or Amla to increase appetite:
Amla or Indian gooseberry is found in the entire region of India. Indian gooseberry has an astringent like taste. Hence , it acts as an appetite booster . It also cures digestion problems like bloating, improper digestion and nausea.
You can have Indian gooseberry in the form of a candy or you can have its juice.
To prepare Amla juice:
Add 1/4 cup of Amla extract to the water and dilute up to 200ml. add sugar if you need and have this juice.
You can also have gooseberry as:
Take 1 gooseberry, then grate it. To this add honey or sugar and salt . Eat the entire quantity. It is a great appetite booster and causes increase in hunger.
Black pepper:
Incorporating pepper and spices into your food can increase the desire to eat. Black pepper is unique for its flavor and spiciness. It helps with the digestion issues. It is also known to stimulate the taste buds and stomach acids.
You can have black pepper as:
Add 1tsp of jaggery with 1/4 tsp of black pepper and eat this once a day. If you do not have jaggery, you can use sugar instead.
Increase the amount of black pepper in your diet, it will help to increase appetite.
Cardamom:
Cardamom is an aromatic spice. It is very widely used in India. Cardamom is packed with flavonoids. When you chew on the pod, the flavors release inside your mouth and stimulate your salivary glands. They send signals to brain to eat .
You can have cardamom directly as a mouth freshener. You can also have cardamom in tea and or milk .
Cardamom flavor is very likeable and you can have it in any sweets or even curries. There are two broad varieties one is black, bigger in size and the other is green , smaller in size. You should prefer the smaller greenish cardamom as the other has too strong flavor helps to increase appetite.
Coriander:
Coriander or parsley is an appetite booster. This is because it has a very fresh flavor. Fresh flavors will boost your appetite and uplift your mood . This will in turn increase the desire to eat . You should have fresh coriander or parsley . Just add some parsley or coriander onto your main dish such as pasta, dal etc. and you will notice how its impact is on the food. It helps increase appetite.
You can make juice of coriander leaves and have it in the morning to boost your appetite in the morning.
Vegetable soup:
Whenever having vegetable soup , just add in a dash of pepper , garlic , cumin seeds and coriander . It is a perfect soup for boosting our appetite. If you have this soup before meal , it will increase hunger and you will feel like having a lot of food. If you are suffering with appetite loss, just add this soup to your diet. You will gradually feel more hungry and it will also boost your mood hence it helps to increase appetite.
Fennel seeds:
In India it is a tradition to have fennel seeds after a meal. It has volatile oils. They help in digestion and also have a fresh scent , which acts as a mouth freshener. You can have funnel seeds 30 minutes before food . It help increase hunger and helps in digestion and metabolism as well. It is the best to increase appetite when you are feeling nauseous and anorexic.
Clove:
Clove or clove oil along with fennel and cinnamon will increase hunger. You can combine the oils of the three spices together and add it to the inhaler. Inhale its vapors for some time every day . You will experience that they increase appetite. This is because the clove contains eugenol , which is quite spicy . When you inhale, it keeps away the nauseating feeling . You feel fresh and your mood uplifts.
Conclusion:
If you combine these spices and foods into your diet , you will feel like eating more than usual. These are proven home remedies to increase appetite even in chronic medical conditions. If you are suffering from psychological issues , then these spices are also mood up lifters.
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