I think everyone no matter what gender, profession, or health condition, often finds themselves asking these questions: Eat or not to eat? What? When? And Why?The reasons for this type of questions can be different: from the idea of having a healthy life style and keeping a younger look, to the desire to wear our favorite pair of jeans or that little black dress for a very important party.
Although, all these reasons are so different, the main question remains: What style of eating or dieting is the best for you? I think, the key words here are “for you”, and not ‘dieting.’
It’s no big secret that whatever is good for one, can be a poison for another. If one fantastic diet works for the thousands of people in a very positive and helpful way, you may be the one who it will not work for. What is the reason behind this? It is our diversity. We all have different backgrounds, different medical histories, and our bodies and life styles are very different. Personally, I think that The Perfect Diet for everyone doesn’t exist.
And now we are coming back to the questions that we’ve had in the beginning: Eat or not to eat? What? When? And Why? Is it possible to find the answer? I think, it is.
My personal experience with dieting is very broad and has a long history. I have tried so many different things: from the No Salt Brown Rice Cleansing Diet to Vegetarian and Vegan diets. I have tried to eat According to my Blood Type and had tried Cascade Fasting. I have been on Raw Eating for two years. I tried a lot!
Each way of eating helped me to learn a lot about myself. It helped me understand that there are some useful and smart rules that I had better to follow. Then, most importantly, I had discovered that when I was choosing the way of eating, I certainly had to trust the Wisdom of My Own Body.
Below I put simple ideas that may be helpful when you’re facing these questions: eat or not to eat? When? What? And Why?
- Never eat when you are in a rush or under stress.
Before you begin to eat take a breath or two. Relax your face, put on your favourite music if it’s available. Can you relax your mind? If not, sit quietly for a moment and make a promise to yourself to come back to whatever you have to do, after your meal.
- Do not overeat.
This is a big one. We actually need less food than we usually eat. Overeating puts stress on your body and makes all your systems work intensively for the amount of food that you actually do not need. Pay attention to a size of the plate that you use. You may need to size it down; often this small trick works really well.
- Have a glass of water fifteen or twenty minutes before your meal.
Make sure water is not too cold.
- Have all your fruits thirty minutes before the meal, not after.
It is a very important rule to follow because it will save you from very uncomfortable bloating in your stomach. The reason is very simple: eat first the food that will be digested faster: fruits before carbohydrates or meat. Otherwise, while meet is being digested, the fruits will stay in your intestines producing a lot of gas and causing bloating.
- Do not eat in front of TV, computer.
When you watch TV and eat at the same time you really aren’t aware of what you eat and how much. That easily can cause overeating.
- When you are choosing certain eating pattern for yourself do it thoughtfully.
Try a new way of eating for a certain period of time. Notice any changes: how you feel or if your level of energy changes. You may need to revise your diet according to your needs, schedule, or eating habits. Feel free to adjust. Sometimes following the rules that you put on yourself too strictly can cause you dropping a very nice healthy eating pattern.
- Make sure you have enough greens.
Leafy greens have countless health benefits: they are full of vitamins, and minerals. They can help you to feel full, so you will be able to control your hunger. On the other hand, greens act like a wheels for a vehicle: they help to move all the food through your intestines, so it moved by the greens and not by the weight of the other food that you eat later.
- Drink your food, chew your water
Chew your food until it has liquid consistency. On one hand, it allows you to break the food down to the maximum extent. On the other hand, this helps to get an optimum mixture with saliva. It would be a lot easier on your digestive system. When you drink any liquid, do it slowly so you’re able to taste it, almost chew it. It helps to mix your saliva with it. As a result you’ll have healthier digestive system and you’ll need less food to feel not hungry.
When you face questions about your meal preference, remember these points and don’t forget: it is important to like your food (do not confuse with the addiction!). There is always a way to do it in a healthy and enjoyable way!