“IT’S FOOD TIME”

A BRUTALLY HONEST EXPLANATION BY A SIMPLE HERMIT

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People say this every day — “It’s food time.”

Sounds normal, right?

But I, a hermit who has watched thousands suffer, tell you this:

That one sentence has destroyed health, happiness, and real hunger across the world.

Let me explain in simple words.

No big medical terms. No complicated science.

Only truth. Pure and painful truth.

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PART 1: WHERE DID THIS IDEA COME FROM?

1. WHEN CLOCK BECAME GOD

Long ago, people ate when they were hungry.

Sometimes once a day. Sometimes not at all.

They listened to the body.

But slowly, people forgot the body and started trusting the clock.

“8 am? Time for breakfast.”

“1 pm? Time for lunch.”

“8 pm? Dinner now.”

Even if the body said, “No, I’m still full,”

the clock said, “Eat!”

So people obeyed the clock. Not the stomach.

2. SCHOOL BRAINWASHING

In schools, they told children:

“Never skip breakfast.”

“Three meals a day are must.”

“If you don’t eat on time, you’ll fall sick.”

So the child started fearing hunger and trusting rules.

They never learned to listen to their belly.

3. PARENTS MEANT WELL — BUT DAMAGED YOU

Your mother said:

“Beta, eat now. Don’t wait.”

Your grandmother said:

“You need strength. Eat even if you don’t feel hungry.”

They were loving, but misguided.

They thought feeding is care.

But they were feeding without need.

Result?

Your hunger signals got confused.

You started eating because they said so — not because your body wanted it.

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PART 2: HOW THIS IDEA BECAME A CURSE

Now almost everyone says “It’s food time.”

Without asking one important question:

“Am I really hungry?”

This small mistake has caused huge damage.

DAMAGE #1: BODY FORGOT HUNGER

If you always eat by time, your body forgets real hunger.

You feel ‘cravings,’ not true need.

Your stomach becomes confused.

You keep eating, but feel tired.

You eat snacks, but feel bloated.

You eat fruits, but still want sugar.

Why?

Because you never wait for true hunger.

DAMAGE #2: YOU FEED EMOTIONS, NOT BODY

People now eat when they’re:

Angry

Lonely

Bored

Nervous

Watching TV

Scrolling the phone

Food is no longer for the body.

It’s become a tool to escape feelings.

So we get fat, tired, sick — and we still don’t know why.

DAMAGE #3: CHILDREN ARE BEING DESTROYED

Children are being fed all the time:

Wake up? Drink milk.

Before school? Eat fast.

Lunch break? Force it down.

Evening? Snacks and juice.

Dinner? Finish everything or no cartoon.

They are full from morning to night.

And we say, “Why is my child not energetic?”

Because the poor child has no real hunger left.

We killed it with kindness.

DAMAGE #4: RELATIONSHIPS ARE BUILT ON EATING

Families no longer talk.

They only eat together.

Every meeting means food.

Every festival means overeating.

Every visit means snacks, sweets, more snacks.

And if someone refuses, people get upset:

“What? You don’t want to eat my love?”

So we eat to please others — not ourselves.

We don’t eat for health — we eat for harmony.

That’s not love. That’s pressure.

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PART 3: LONG LIST OF CONSEQUENCES

Let’s look at how one simple idea — “It’s food time” — has hurt us in every part of life.

1. HEALTH PROBLEMS

Obesity: Eating without hunger leads to fat gain.

Acidity: Digestive fire becomes weak.

Diabetes: Pancreas gets tired with too many meals.

Constipation: Gut never rests.

High blood pressure: From sugar, salt, and overeating.

Skin problems: From dirty blood due to bad digestion.

Hair fall: Lack of nutrition, excess food.

Cancer: Damaged cells never get a break to clean up.

2. MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL DAMAGE

Can’t feel joy without food.

Can’t handle sadness without eating.

Food becomes a drug.

Brain becomes lazy.

Focus goes down.

Sleep gets poor.

Mood swings increase.

Guilt after eating becomes normal.

3. FAMILY AND SOCIAL DAMAGE

Mothers shout, “Eat now!” all day.

Fathers bring junk to feel useful.

Children snack nonstop.

Grandparents overfeed in the name of love.

Guests are fed as if it’s a competition.

No one listens to the body. Only habit speaks.

4. FINANCIAL DAMAGE

Buying unnecessary snacks.

Eating out often.

Home is filled with biscuits, chips, juices, fried items.

Big grocery bills.

Health tests.

Doctor visits.

Medicines — just to undo the damage caused by “It’s food time.”

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PART 4: THE BIGGEST LOSS — LOSS OF INSTINCT

Humans are the only animals who eat without hunger.

Look at birds.

They don’t carry lunchboxes.

They eat only when needed.

They know when to fast. When to drink. When to rest.

But humans?

We need reminders to stop eating.

We broke the biggest natural rule:

“Wait for hunger. Eat with silence. Stop when done.”

And now we are paying the price.

Disease is normal.

Fatigue is common.

Depression is everywhere.

And food is still the king — sitting on a rotten throne.

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PART 5: THE WAY BACK TO TRUTH

It’s time to destroy this fake idea: “It’s food time.”

Here’s what to do:

1. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, NOT THE CLOCK

Don’t eat just because it’s 1 pm.

Ask: Am I really hungry?

2. SKIP MEALS WITHOUT FEAR

Nothing will happen if you don’t eat one meal.

In fact, your digestion will thank you.

3. WAIT FOR TRUE HUNGER

True hunger is:

Calm

Clear

Deep

Doesn’t come with anger or craving

4. TEACH CHILDREN TO TRUST THEIR STOMACH

Let them say no.

Let them play hungry.

Let them eat slowly.

Let their instinct live.

5. STOP USING FOOD TO ESCAPE FEELINGS

Feel the sadness.

Feel the boredom.

Sit with it.

Don’t eat it.

6. EAT WITH SILENCE, PRESENCE AND GRATITUDE

Turn off the screen.

Talk less.

Chew well.

Feel the food.

Respect the gift of hunger.

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PART 6: THE HERMIT’S FINAL WORDS

People say to me,

“But baba, when should I eat then?”

And I say:

When your body asks. Not when the clock tells.

When your hunger roars, not your habit.

When your mouth waters, not when your mind is bored.

When your belly is calm, not when your phone beeps.

Break this curse.

Don’t make food a religion.

Make it a relationship.

Listen to it.

Respect it.

And stop saying, “It’s food time.”

Instead say,

“It’s honesty time.”

Because true hunger is the only honest thing left in this fake world.

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Here is a healing dialogue between a confused middle-class Indian couple and the brutally honest hermit, Madhukar, in his mud hut in Karnataka. They visit him after years of stomach issues, sugar cravings, fatigue, and guilt around food.

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CHARACTERS

Ravi – 42, office job, acidity, pre-diabetic, eats every 3 hours

Lakshmi – 38, homemaker, tired, bloated, emotional eater

Madhukar – the wise hermit

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SCENE

A humble mud home in a forest clearing. A cow munches near the entrance. The couple sits before Madhukar, nervous and holding a lunch box filled with dry fruits.

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Ravi:

We’ve come for your blessings, sir. My digestion is ruined. I eat on time, three meals, plus fruits and snacks. But I feel tired all day.

Lakshmi:

Even I feel heavy after every meal. I don’t eat junk. I follow recipes on YouTube. Healthy oats, millets, everything. Still, I feel dull.

Madhukar (smiling softly):

So you eat with your mouth. But not with your mind. And never with your gut.

Ravi:

Sorry?

Madhukar:

You say, “I eat on time.”

That is your sin.

No animal eats on time.

They eat when hungry.

But you eat when your watch is hungry.

Lakshmi:

But if we don’t eat regularly, won’t the body become weak?

Madhukar:

The body becomes weak when it gets no rest.

Your stomach is your second brain.

You are overloading it like a bad boss — no break, no breath.

Ravi:

But everyone says skipping breakfast is bad.

My father used to say, “Eat before you feel faint.”

Madhukar:

Your father also says “Buy land, it never dies.”

Now he’s watching TV with joint pain and diabetes.

Tell me, when was the last time your stomach asked for food?

Lakshmi (quietly):

I don’t know.

I just cook and eat with the family.

Sometimes I eat because I feel lonely.

Madhukar (gently):

That is not food.

That is comfort disguised as food.

And the body is crying inside, saying “Why are you stuffing me when I’m already full?”

Ravi:

I thought food brings people together.

Madhukar:

Yes.

But fake hunger pulls people apart.

You eat and fight.

You eat and scroll.

You eat and regret.

That’s not togetherness. That’s mutual stuffing.

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A MOMENT OF SILENCE

The couple looks down, ashamed. Ravi opens the lunchbox and closes it again.

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Lakshmi:

So what should we do?

Madhukar:

Start small.

Don’t eat until your body genuinely asks.

Not your mouth, not your mood — your belly.

Real hunger is:

Calm

Focused

Comes after lightness, not heaviness

Has no guilt, no rush

Ravi:

But I feel dizzy if I skip meals.

Madhukar:

That’s not weakness.

That’s withdrawal.

Your body is used to snacks like an addict to drugs.

When you stop, it cries — not because it needs — but because it forgot how to wait.

Lakshmi:

And my emotions? I eat when I’m sad.

Madhukar:

Then sit with sadness.

Hold it. Cry. Write. Walk.

Don’t eat it.

Food cannot digest your emotions. Only your silence can.

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DAILY PRACTICE GIVEN BY MADHUKAR

1. Wait for hunger. Not time.

2. Eat with silence. No TV, no phone.

3. Chew slowly. At least 25 times.

4. Stop before full. The real fullness comes 10 minutes later.

5. One day a week: no solid food. Just water and rest.

6. Tell your children: “You may eat when you feel hungry.”

7. Teach your elders gently: “It’s okay to skip a meal.”

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Ravi (smiling nervously):

Can we still eat together?

Madhukar (smiling):

Yes.

But not out of fear.

Eat together only when all are hungry.

Then it becomes a celebration, not a punishment.

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CLOSING SCENE

The couple leaves quietly.

Their lunch box unopened.

For the first time in years, their stomach feels light.

Not from fasting — but from truth.

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“THE BELLY NEVER LIES”

— a poem after watching too many Indians eat without hunger

they called it breakfast

but it broke nothing

except their backs

as they dragged themselves to work

with three parathas and a lifetime of gas

they called it lunch

but it came without hunger

like a knock on the door

from a salesman you can’t say no to

so you buy, you eat, you regret,

you smile, you burp,

you pop a pill

they called it dinner

and they fed their guilt

with paneer, potatoes, and more rice than sorrow can carry

the mother cooked

the father scrolled

the child pushed dal in circles

the grandmother served

like love was a second helping

and shame was dessert

they eat because the clock said so

not the belly

they eat because tradition said so

not truth

they eat to avoid silence

they eat to numb anger

they eat to feel together

but chew alone

they fear skipping a meal

as if god will smite them

they fear hunger

as if it were a sin

but they never fear overeating

they never fear habit

they never fear the silent death of instinct

I have seen saints with less control

than a hungry man at a buffet

I have seen people

who cannot name their feelings

but can list 38 snack items in one breath

they don’t need food

they need rest

they need grief

they need to sit under a neem tree and weep

but instead, they open the fridge

and so, they call it food time

and the belly,

the only honest organ left,

screams every night

as the mind falls asleep

and the colon writes its suicide letter

– Bukowski, if he lived in Bengaluru

and watched families eat without hunger.