The art of eating is an old art that has come back around in recent times due to the prevalence of Americans that suffer from digestive issues in this world today. In 2018, a study was conducted and surveyed over 71,000 Americans and found the 2 out of 3 individuals experienced GI symptoms. Another article stated that most Americans that do have digestive symptoms don’t seek help. Digestion can be a sensitive topic for most or even mystery for some. I’ve noticed that sometimes uncovering symptoms from the body can be fearful and overwhelming, which could be a reason why it’s easy to ignore minor symptoms in the beginning. It helps to know the language of the body so fear can be diminished and confidence can take over. This is where knowledge and wisdom of Ayurveda shines! Ayurveda is the guidebook to your life that addresses the five senses, your thoughts, emotions and spirit. It is here where you can remember the wisdom and knowledge of yourself and your life. Ayurveda teaches, that one of the pillars of healthy life is digestion. I can speculate from research and knowing countless of people with digestive upsets, what is missing in a good amount of American lives is consciousness in food choices and eating. This is the first step on the journey to feeling better. In Ayurveda the saying goes, you are what you digest. Digestion of the food you put into your body makes up the physical body – lymph, blood, muscles, fat, bones, nerves and reproductive system. Leaning the language of digestion and strengthening the relationship with your body will empower you to make changes that benefit you. To get the most out of this eBook, I suggest picking one eating guideline and practicing for one week. Each week try a new one. After trying all of them, see what sticks the most and keep on practicing that. Keep in mind, it can take 1-3 months create a new habit around food, so try to be patient with yourself! If you need any support check out my services page on my website or if you want to share healthy eating experiences please feel free to post on my website question/comments board. So are you ready to remember what you are already were born knowing? Let’s dive in!
1.Eating when you’re actually hungry
Did you know that it takes 3-4 hours for a meal to digest in your GI tract and about 36 days for your meal to completely absorb into all tissues of the body?
We’ve all learned so many different eating habits from society to our families and most of us can admit there have been times we’ve “forced” to eat food even if we were full or weren’t hungry. These habits we learn as a young child can get deeply embedded into neural pathways and become an integral part of who we are. If you are used to eating even if you are not hungry, make an effort to wait three to four hours before making food, see if you can feel what it is like to actually feel hungry. If you notice you never really feel hungry it could be from stress, anxiety, infections or common cold. This is where you will want to consider herbal support to help your body’s ability to break down food. For example, you can try sipping on digestive herbs such as ginger, chamomile, thyme, or coriander/cumin/fennel tea throughout the day coupled with smaller meals throughout the day. Or if its stress and anxiety, can purchase herbal tea blends from me or make your own blends with lavender, gotu kola, lemon balm, chamomile, roses, the possibilities are endless.
This is my first-hand experience of practicing this guideline:
“It occurred to me the other day that there is nothing like eating a meal when I am actually hungry. Even something as simple steamed kale, cabbage and broccoli on a bed of millet with feta cheese, salt, and coconut aminos tasted absolutely delicious and it made me happy inside. This is how I want to eat all my meals. I’ve lived a privileged live in regards to eating and getting any food I wanted. I noticed the magic and richness of food was diminished because I would over eat and eat when I really wasn’t hungry. No matter how “delicious” a meal is if I over eat or eat when I am not hungry it is not nearly as good as it is if I was truly hungry. There is so much that goes into digesting food that’s beyond the tantalizing tastes and smells a meal provides. Waiting 3-4 hours in between meals not only allows me to enjoy meals better, my body is actually ready for food and I can feel it."
Have you ever seen or you yourself have been eating and doing something else at the same time like driving or texting while eating and did you know that gets in the way of your body being able to digest food well?
I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal here in America it’s widely accepted to eat while walking, driving, watching TV, yet in other cultures like Japan, that is something they abstain from. It takes a far amount of energy for your digestive organs to convert food into energy and it helps when we sit with our back’s straight (with support if needed) so blood can concentrate into the organs for energy instead of being dispersed out into the arms and legs during physical activity or brain during mental activity. When we take energy away from us while we are eating it compromises the energy the digestive organs need to digest food properly. On another note, research shows that when people eat while distracted they tend to eat more than needed and are more prone to emotional eating.
When you embrace mindful eating the connection to your body and mind gets deeper, for you can tell when you are full or still hungry. Tune into the taste and texture to open up your senses, which keeps you in this present moment. With a new connection to food and your body, your chances of emotional eating and eating when bored decreases.
I know this one is easier said than done, so I invite to find at least one meal that you can practice.
If you can’t go without distractions at least “come back” to what your food tastes or smells like and check in with your satisfaction level. Another suggestion is, if you’re accustomed to watching TV while eating, try looking out the window instead.
3.Chewing your food to an even consistency
This one isn’t easy but it’s the best way to optimize your body’s ability to break down and absorb food better. Digestion first starts in the mouth. When food enters the mouth, the teeth chew up the food and the food gets coated and mixed with saliva so it can move smoothly through the esophagus and into the stomach. The stomach releases acids and acts like a machine swishing the food around converting it into a liquid called chyme. If one’s stomach acid is low or overall digestive system is compromised it’s hard for the stomach to break down the food completely, leaving undigested food particles flowing through the small intestine where can’t get absorbed and assimilated and that eventually come out of the stool. Have you ever examined your poop and see whole pieces of food there in there? You can guess it’s from not chewing your food well. Also, when we are not paying attention to how well we chew, we can swallow air that could be the cause of bloating. Our organs are already dealing with a lot in this modern world, dealing with stress of work, emotions, and environmental factors, so chewing food well can make it a little easier on an already compromised system. So next time you find yourself at the table eating a delicious meal, take the time to chew the food well. If you can’t do it the whole meal try this tip for at least the first couple of bites. Keep in mind it’s easier to break down food that is in bite size pieces. Food that is food too big or small for your mouth will not be as easy to chew completely.
Our external environment affects our internal body, mind and emotions. If we choose to eat food while watching the news, watching the news creates stress in the mind while affects overall digestion. Stress and digestion are closely related. Most digestive issues stem from stress. Ayurveda teaches ways to manage stress and one way to do that is consciously choosing a space that is peaceful while your eating, a place that allows you to breathe and relax your shoulders. You have the power to create anything you want such as creating a peaceful place on your desk with pictures or looking out the window to get your mind to relax. There are ways around “the problem” all is takes is some creative thinking.
If you have embodied, chewing your food well, practice mindful eating by limiting your distractions and your eating a peaceful setting, it will be very easy for you to determine when you are 75% full. If you have not and don’t feel connected to your body it’s possibly not that easy to know when you are full, then I would suggested trying out the other healthy eating guidelines first and then this one will naturally come. But hey, if you are a pitta type* and want to achieve only this one right now, this is what I can suggest for you; make vegetables the biggest portion on your plate because veggies contain fiber and fiber makes you feel full. Look at the palm of your hand; this is the size of protein you want to eat. Depending upon your body type it would vary on amount of grains – vata* types can have a larger portion – bigger than protein but veggies still the biggest portion, pitta* types can do the same size portion of grains as protein and kapha* types would benefit from grains being the smallest portion or no grains at all.
Generally speaking, drinking warm water with a meal aids in the digestive process by breaking down the food. Warm water is closer to our body’s natural temperature, so the body receives better water absorption because warm water flows easily through the whole GI tract instead of cold water. Although cold water feels really good to drink on hot days, it actually increases body temperature making you hotter! When cold water enters your body the water shocks it and the body has to work harder to warm up the water to match its natural basal temperature. This act inhibits the speed of the digestive process and can cause constipation. In addition to drinking warm water, warm teas are great with meals. Chamomile, mint, coriander/cumin/fennel tea, ginger, licorice, and dandelion are great digestive tea that can sooth and your belly get the most of your food! Each herb has it’s own qualities that can help specific imbalances and if you need help determining which tea is best for you, schedule a food advice session with me.
7.Eating food that is cooked with love.
Imagine someone you love cooking a meal for you. When this person you love, serves you the food, you can feel the love that was put into it and it makes the food taste even better! Okay now imagine, you are at a restaurant and there is a window to the kitchen where you can watch the chief and his or her co-workers make food. On this day the head chief is mad and is channeling his/her anger into the food, does that make you want to eat the chief’s food or run away? From an Ayurvedic perspective the intention behind the food being cooked is just as important as how food is eaten and prepared. From a prepping standpoint, be sure to wash your fruits and veggies remove bacteria that come from birds, other animals, water, soil, and organic fertilizers to avoid unwanted bacteria messing with your gut flora. Also, Ayurveda believes that how food is prepared directly affects the person who is eating the food. Love is life force, it makes us feel alive, so when love is intentionally put into the meal it increases the life force of the food whereas, and when love is missing from the food it starves the body, mind and emotions of this powerful force. For example, imagine grandma’s homemade chicken soup and next to her soup is a store bought in the can chicken soup. Which one has more life force and which one tastes better? Of course it’s grandma’s soup! She took the time to wash every piece being used, thoughtfully picked out the spices and herbs, and gave thanks for the chicken’s life. Intention is powerful! In America, we live such fast-paced lives that cooking from home isn’t always available to us, for all the reasons, so if you can’t make food yourself or have someone you love make it for you, at least choose restaurants where you love the staff and the chief, it will be better for you energetically than going to a place you energetically disconnected to the people who are making your food.
8. Go Organic and make food at home when it’s possible
Last but not least, getting organic food is equally as important as the rest of the guidelines that were mentioned. Inorganic food is sprayed with pesticides and herbicides to keep bugs away yet these chemicals leech into the food, meaning it goes beyond the skin of the food that cannot be washed away. Some formulations of pesticides contain arsenic, chromium, cobalt, lead, and nickel which are toxic to the human body and can cause problems with our endocrine system (the system that regulates all biological processes in the body – metabolism, blood sugar levels, brain development, function of the reproductive system) and increase the risk of cancer. Also, processed food, any food that is already made that comes in a box or can, unless it is stated otherwise, contains additives and preservatives that threaten health by causing asthma, genetic mutations, digestive disorders and increase the risk of cancer. As a rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, stay away from it. When you cook at home, you have complete control of what goes into the meal you are making.
Ayurvedic Principles
By: Dr. Marc Halpern
Burden of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in the United States. Christopher V Almario MD. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.com
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