Tweak Your Eating Habits.


I post a lot of recipes on my blog and I also follow a lot of food blogs along with yoga blogs. Food is such an important aspect of every human being's life. On average, I come across about 30 new recipe posts every week. Everybody wants to share their food love through blogs and photos. **thumbs up** As much as food and variety of ingredients are important to our diet, I have to say that the attitude towards eating does concern me. The primary focus has always been on what you should and should not eat. Sadly, nobody seem to emphasize on how you should eat. Let me tell you, your mood, surroundings and mental state does affect how your body utilize the food that you eat. Probably you may feel I am repeating what you have been thought when you were young, but forgetfulness is in our genes.

1. Like Mama said, Chew Your Food.

As I always say, digestion begins at your mouth. I cannot emphasize this enough. The starch present in your food are initially broken down in the mouth by the salivary amylase. Imagine swallowing your food with minimal chewing, you're skipping the a very crucial step of digestion. This may be a shocker, but it seems you are supposed to chew your food 40 times; if it's vegetable based or 60-80 times; if they are meat based. No excuses! Chew!

2. Keep you water away. 

I have already discussed this subject on a blog post. Click here to read. Drinking water or any type of drink while eating immediately leads to bloating and slows down digestion process. Try not to drink water at least 30 minutes before a meal, during a meal and at least 30 to 45 minutes after a meal. 

3. Shhhhh!

Avoid socializing when you are having a meal. When it's time to eat, focus on the food and the eating process. When you feel hungry, the brain gets a signal that the stomach is going to be filled with food and it directs blood flow to the stomach and intestinal region to aid digestion. So all 5 senses will be focused on food consumption. When you do other activities while eating, you are distracting your senses and blood flow from functioning fully on the eating and digestion process. To summarize on the things you shouldn't do while eating.
  • No talking.
  • No reading.
  • No watching television.
  • No fiddling with your technological devices.

4. Listen to your body.

Do you really pay attention to your body's needs? Or do you eat, drink and sleep according to a schedule set by yourself. I'm sure everybody claims to have a body clock of their own, but does everyone share the same clock? Do you think everyone has to eat at 1 PM? Simple example I can give you, babies don't have a brunch time or tea time, they cry when they're hungry. The older we get, the more distant we get from our natural instincts. What I'm trying to say is, eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty and sleep when you're sleepy. Try not to force your body to fit into a schedule. Listen to your body clock and not the wall clock.

~M~


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shakthi Bandha Asanas (Energy Block Postures)

Image
Ahh finally!! I'm posting my first asana pictorial. Part 3 of the Pawanmuktasana, also known as the shakthi bandha group of asanas. This group of asanas are concerned with improving the energy flow within the body. They eliminate energy blockages in the spine, activate the lungs and heart, and improve endocrine function. These asanas are useful for those with reduced vitality and a stiff back and specially useful for women suffering with menstrual problems due to its toning effect on the pelvic organs and muscles. It can be practised after pregnancy for retoning flaccid muscles. The shakti bandha series may be started straight away if good health and fitness prevail. However, if there are any serious ailments, a yoga therapist or an experienced yoga instructor should be consulted. Difficulty Level : Beginners      1. Raju Karshanasana (Pulling the Rope)           Instructions: 1.        Sit comfortably on a mat with your legs stretched out straight and together.
Read more

Day 5: Pawanmuktasana Series. A yogi's warm up.

Image
When you take up a yoga class at Malaysian Yoga Society, they start off the class with a warming up routine called Pawanmuktasana series or generally known as joints exercise. This series focuses on engaging various joints of our body and it was introduced to yogis around the world by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in his book Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha ( Refer to Pawanmuktasana 1: Anti Rheumatic Group) I begin my practice everyday with joints exercises and proceed to sun salutations. I have to say, its's a great way to warm up your stiff muscles and joints early in the morning to improve flow of air, heat and prana in your body. It's gentle enough to be practiced by anyone irrespective of your age. Just practicing these basic exercises would be a great way to kick start your day if you do not have the time to allocate for an hour practice. A great relief from morning stiffness, beginning with your toes and all the way up to your neck. Here's a list of exercises/joints that
Read more

Sheetali & Sheetkari Pranayama.

Image
Can you imagine the feel of drinking a cold, sweet drink filled with ice cubes up to the rim of a glass. Imagine the cold sensation down your throat. We have all been there and done that. Sounds refreshing, doesn't it? Well, have you ever thought of what happens inside your body after gulping a liquid which is that cold. Ideally, the human body is supposed to be maintained at 37⁰C. Let's say your iced drink is at about 10⁰C, can you picture how hard your system has to work to maintain the temperature of all your internal organs at 37⁰C. If you have some knowledge of heat transfer or even basic science, you would have probably heard of latent heat and that theory applies to the human body as well. Enough said. I agree it's easier said than done. Especially, when the summer heat waves really gets on your last nerves. All I have to say is, we can't change the environment, but we can surely makes better choices. Opting for fruits and practicing the breathing technique tha
Read more