healthy eating habits
It may that how we eat contributes to health as much as what we eat. Here are some healthy eating habits to try out. The aim is be in a relaxed state and really enjoy your meals. Feeling stress whilst eating increases acidity and risks poor digestion.
awareness
Try to be aware of the colours in your meal, smell each dish, feel the textures in your mouth and realy taste your food. After you can be aware of how the food feels inside you.
emotions
Our bodies our arranged so that in times of extreme fear or anxiety we eliminate all food from our digestive system so we are physically in the best shape to survive. When we become stressed, anxious or insecure our body is not ideally set up to receive food, digest and absorb it. Some people will find their appetite reduces under stress.
However it is also possible that in an effort to get rid of the stressful feeling we over eat to feel full and satisfied. Although this is understandable from an emotional viewpoint, it may not be healthy to act against our bodies natural instincts and eat whilst we are not ideally prepared for digestion.
Try to calm yourself before eating with meditation, or just being aware of your senses, to develop your healthy eating habits. During the meal laugh with friends or amuse yourself to help remain calm.
One of the potential challenges with stress is that we tend to secrete more acid into our digestive system and as a result risk becoming over acidic. Over long periods of time this can increase the risk of digestive disorders.
posture
Our digestive system is clearly arranged so that gravity helps in the process of moving food. We basically put food in near the top of our body and the waste comes out near the bottom of our torso.
Many people through the ages have made the claim that sitting up straight during and after a meal aids our digestion of food and reduces the risk of ailments within the digestive system making it important for our healthy eating habits.
chewing
Chewing physically breaks down our food so that we can further break it down chemically in our stomachs. The more we chew the more we expose the surface of the food to our digestive juices. If we swallow a lump of food it will take longer for the liquids in our stomach to reach the center of that lump.
In addition our saliva chemically breaks down carbohydrates in our food. This is why foods rich in carbohydrates such as vegetables and grains taste sweeter after they have been in our mouth for a while.
Try chewing your food until it feels like a liquid in your mouth. This might take thirty, forty, fifty chews or more depending on the food. When you do this be aware of how much you need to eat to feel satisfied and what effect it has on your digestion. Make a note as to whether chewing well has any influence on your desire for snacks between meals. See if chewing at least 30 time a mouthful can become one of your healthy eating habits.
eating slowly
Eating slowly and spacing your meal over a longer time can help the digestive process. It can be fun to make the meal your evenings entertainment rather than rushing your food to go and do something else. When our lunch or dinner becomes our source of pleasure we can take several hours eating whilst having fun with friends.
drinking
Drinking during or close to a meal can dilute our digestive juices making it harder to digest our food properly for some people. Drinking a liquid that contains nutrients such as the broth of a soup or herb tea fills our stomach for a longer time as we hold the liquid in our stomach whilst we break down the nutrients. This can help us feel full, satisfied and satiated for longer.
breathing
Breathing into our abdomen will massage our intestines with our diaphragm. To do this make a conscious effort to pull your abdomen in as your breath out and push it out as you breathe in. Massaging our abdomen through breathing can help us move food more easily, reducing the risk of food stagnating.
exercise
Walking and stretching after eating can both aid digestion by physically helping to move food through our intestines. As we walk we massage our ascending and descending colon and this can have the beneficial effect of aiding the peristaltic action of moving food.
stretches
Gentle abdominal stretches can also help an hour or two after a meal. Standing up and stretching slowly to each side will move our ascending and descending colon. Leaning backward and then forward slowly will move our whole intestines. You can try this lying on your front or side to make it more relaxing.
creating your own healthy eating habits
Make a list of the healthy eating habits you would like to try and keep the list by you whilst you eat. Commit to a period of time when you will focus on your healthy eating habits and then review the differences you feel at the end of the test period. For example you might try your new healthy eating habits for a week.
healthy eating help and advice
Call 07543663227 or email Simon if you would like help creating better health through natural foods.