Towards a healthy lifestyle — Part 1

Food
What should I eat?
Eat only when you are hungry, not according to a schedule i.e. breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. If you cannot do this daily, try at-least once a week. Do not postpone eating when you are hungry. Always respond and respect your body’s signals.
Why should I do this?
The digestive juices are ready to digest anything you eat. There is no restriction on what to eat. If you eat before you are hungry, the digestive juices are not ready and the food will ferment in the stomach.
How should I eat?
Along with what you eat, the method you follow is also very important. You should eat with your mouth closed. You can do the following experiment during any of your regular meals:
- Eat small bites.
- Notice how your mouth salivates more
- Notice at the end of your regular meal you do not feel too full
- Notice improved digestion
- Notice you don’t feel bloated
What can I eat?
You can eat anything you like. There is no strict diet to follow. If you can be aware of your cravings and give the body what it craves, the body will easily assimilate it. For example, you might feel you want to eat a banana today, you should eat a banana. Do not eat a banana every day, just because it is good for. Tomorrow if you might want to eat rice, you should eat rice. The best diet is following what your body is telling you.
Where can I eat?
The environment also makes a difference along with what and how you eat.
- Eat without any distractions, like TV/Netflix. When your mind is not distracted while eating, you reap the most benefit from the food.
- Observe the taste.
- Observe the smell.
- Observe the color.
State of mind while eating?
Do not judge the food while you eat. Eat with the affection you have for the food. If you feel what you are eating will negatively affect your body, it is better not to eat it.
Let me give you an example, say you want to eat a slice of red velvet cheese cake do not count its calories. Bring your minds attention to how happy you are to eat that slice. Focus on how yummy the cake is. Tell yourself “Wow, this cake tastes so good. I love it!”. By doing so you are associating positive emotion to the food you are eating, the body responds by assimilating the food effectively.