The Gift of Appetite

“He has recognized an immense appetite within him and has indulged it, and the experience transforms him, betters him.”

I really wanted to share this excerpt from an interview with the late Eric Carle, who wrote the children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, because I think it is such a great way to start to think about appetite.

So much of diet and wellness culture, especially for women who grew up prior to the era of the Kardashians, revolves around being smaller: fewer calories, smaller body, tiny appetite, taking up less space in the world. But having an appetite, loving food and delighting in nourishing yourself, is such a beautiful way to live your life! We are so lucky to be able to take pleasure in eating, this essential function that we do every single day.

The titular Very Hungry Caterpillar was not only taking pleasure in a variety of different foods - he was gaining energy that he used for this powerful transformation of his body. He needed to eat in this way for his body to do what it was meant to do.

If you are a pregnant person growing another body inside you, you need food as fuel for that transformation. You are grateful when you do have an appetite and are able to nourish your changing body! If you work all day, you are using mental (and sometimes physical) energy - energy that you need to get from food! If you are raising children, exercising, taking a walk, reading a book - all of these daily acts require the energy that we get primarily from food. Your appetite is necessary for you to do these things every single day.

So today, can you think of your appetite as a gift? How does it transform and better you?