What do I eat when I don't want to eat?

Low appetite? It happens to the best of us for a variety of reasons, but guess what? We still need to eat.

Have you ever had one of those days when you have zero appetite? I’m guessing 99.9% of you are raising your hands and saying yes right now. This happened to me last Saturday, actually, when I woke up and didn’t want to eat. Here’s the catch - I knew I should eat because I was going to be very busy with my dance class and errands, so having some sort of fuel in my body was probably a really good idea. However, it’s an uncomfortable feeling to force-feed yourself.

I’ll never forget my trip to Ecuador for many reasons. One of the main highlights was hopping through the Galapagos Islands and seeing the wildlife. I absolutely love the ocean, so a trip where I would spend 90% of my time in the water? Sign me up! I arrived on my first day in the capital of Quito and will never forget the advice that my taxi driver gave me. She had asked me if I had ever been in high altitude before. I hadn’t, but I also made the mistake of not thinking it was a big deal. I figured my body would just get used to it, and it wouldn’t be a big deal. Mistake #1. She then told me to make sure that I’m always eating. “Even if you don’t feel hungry, eat.” She suggested lots of bananas for potassium and, of course, drinking lots of water.

What really struck me was her telling me to make sure I was eating enough. Let me just say that I have never been someone to miss a meal unless it was a dire situation. Sure, I have had my share of stressful days when the hours pass seemingly quickly, and I realize that all I have had was morning coffee, but missing meals? Never. This is one thing I notice I do as a dietitian, which is reminding people to eat consistently.   

I was grateful for my taxi driver’s advice; I really was. However, I was also a bit naive in actually following it. As I mentioned before, I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal. Well, on my first night in Quito, I wandered around the capital just to sightsee before my itinerary started. I got lunch and made my way to Parque El Ejido, and then I thought I could walk to another attraction, which was La Basílica del Voto Nacional. I don’t know how many people reading this are familiar with Quito, but according to Google Maps, it was a 27-minute walk. Now, I’m from New York City, which is one of the most walking-friendly cities there is. I walk everywhere, and when I say everywhere, I mean it. Also, I am used to long distances. So, this 27-minute walk did not phase me in the least. Well, it should have.

Holy altitude. Out of nowhere, I started feeling incredibly weak. I had my water, and I just ate lunch. It also wasn't that hot outside, but my body was begging me to stop. Not only was I extremely tired all of a sudden, I felt the compression against my chest. I decided to be smart and turn around and go back to the hotel. I stopped at a local pharmacy to get aspirin because I could feel the headache coming on. Here are some fun facts - New York City has an average elevation of 33 feet above sea level. The altitude of Quito is around 9,350 feet. I went from 33 feet to 9,350 feet with zero preparation. One of the recommendations in order to avoid altitude sickness is to ascend to higher altitudes gradually, allowing the body time to acclimate to the decrease in oxygen levels. This means climbing no more than about 1,000 feet per day above 8,000 feet. Whoops. Again, I was incredibly naive and did not research this before the trip, nor did I think that I would be affected this much. I had eaten, but I also stopped to get more water, and I was now armed with extra aspirin. Okay, maybe some extra rest would help, and it did.

Some fun memories from Ecuador, including the altitude levels.

Now, the trip overall was fabulous, and I highly recommend anyone who can go to do so. I only spent a day and a half in Quito before traveling to the Galapagos Islands. My body did get used to the changes on the islands. However, the last few days of the trip were spent in Papallacta, which is a small village in Ecuador known for its hot springs. What is the altitude in Papallacta? 10,827 feet. Once again, I decided to do a short hike, thinking I would be fine and had to stop short very quickly. Also, this was the part where I noticed my appetite completely changing, and what I really mean is that it had actually disappeared.

I had no desire to eat, and it wasn’t because the food was unappetizing (quite the opposite); it was because my hunger cues were nonexistent. There was one time at breakfast when I thought to myself, “Okay, I will have a bowl of cornflakes. Something light but will give me energy.” I’m not exaggerating when I say I took two bites and was full. This is when the dietitian Shana took over my body because this wasn’t going to work. I needed calories because calories are the units of energy our body needs. Two bites of cornflakes weren’t going to cut it. So I did the next best thing, which was to fill up on fruit. Fiber and other vitamins and minerals (including potassium) were helping my body, and I felt the difference. I slowly added in a little bit of yogurt for protein and decided to keep adding foods to my repertoire for lunch and dinner. Papallacta is also much chillier because it is so high up in elevation, so warm soups luckily worked in my favor. 

I remembered this experience in Ecudaor last Saturday when I felt like I didn’t have an appetite. I was back at only 33 feet above sea level, so I knew it wasn’t the altitude, but we can lose our appetite for many other reasons. Stress, medications, sickness, the weather, and more can affect us, but we still need calories because our bodies need them to function. I’m sure that many people have experienced this as well, so the question becomes, what should I do and what should I eat?

Here is some super generic advice. Remember, I’m a dietitian but not your personal dietitian, so this is not individualized. Yes, I have to give this disclaimer because, well, the interwebs.

1. Eat small, frequent meals: Instead of trying to eat large meals, opt for smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. This can help make eating more manageable. Even if the foods you can tolerate only look like snacks or “kid’s meals,” this is fine. Fruit, yogurt, granola bars, smoothies, toast, soups, cereal, and whatever else feels tolerable.

2. Stay hydrated: Even if you're not feeling hungry, it's important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids such as water, herbal teas, or clear broths.

3. Add flavor: Experiment with herbs, spices, and condiments to add flavor to your meals, which may help stimulate your appetite. I always joke and say to season your food, but honestly, it helps. Good food is enjoyable and can make us excited about eating.

4. Consider nutritional supplements such as Ensure or Boost. Liquid protein drinks are also a great choice. If you're struggling to meet your nutritional needs through food alone, consider talking to your healthcare provider about nutritional supplements.

5. Listen to your body: Try to pay attention to all of your body's hunger cues and eat, even if it's not at traditional meal times. Hunger cues, in addition to a growling stomach, include low energy, shakiness, headaches, feeling lightheaded, feeling cold, irritable, and having problems focusing.

Our bodies are very extraordinary beings because they respond to so many scenarios to try to keep us functioning. I know this seems nonsensical because many times, it often feels like the opposite, and we are fighting with ourselves, but the body’s response processes are amazing to think about. Or maybe it’s just the nerd in me. The reason for this newsletter is that I find myself very often reminding people to eat. We, as a society, put so much focus on “overconsumption” instead of realizing that many of us do not, in fact, eat consistently, which works against us. This can be due to numerous reasons, but what I want us all to remember is that calories are units of energy that we get from food.

I also 100% understand the discomfort that comes from not wanting to eat. I shared my experience above to demonstrate that I, too, am human and go through many experiences that put my body outside its comfort zone. So I get it, I do. What I encourage you to do in these situations is give yourself grace. We get too caught up in picture-perfect meals with the perfect amount of nutrients in each one. I can tell you that not only does perfection not exist, but there are many times when the last thing our bodies need is the perfect equation of nutrients. Remember that fed is best, always.