Eating Hygiene (Part 2 of 2)
Last night, Alex, my 11 yr old son said; “I wish I was a snake because then I wouldn’t have to chew so much”! Yes, I have recruited my family to join me in my effort to slow down while eating and chew more – 20 times! This is indeed a challenge.
In my blog post last week, I wrote about the importance of looking at HOW you eat as much as WHAT you eat? The first two tips were around slowing down and chewing and how that impacts your overall health through absorbtion and digestion.
This week I have two more tips for you. The first one is really a prerequisite for all of this. And it has to do with our culture.
3. Prioritize Eating
Many people feel that eating is somehow a waste of time unless it’s done while multi-tasking. A fascinating choice when you consider that eating is the one thing we do which literally creates our future body! We get in the habit of eating “on the go” e.g. in the car rushing to a meeting, while walking to another building, or standing up at the counter while preparing our kids’ food. All of these are a recipe for indigestion. A high-impact way to live on purpose is to treat a meal as a special, singular event.
Tip for building this habit:
Plan your meals. For many people, it helps to put them literally in your daily appointment/commitment calendar. This ensures the time is truly “set aside” to care for yourself via mindful eating. We set aside time for the doctor and put that appointment in the calendar. Well, food IS medicine (healthy food, that is!)
Now that you’ve created space in the schedule to eat, what comes next might be considered ‘digestive table manners’
Sit down. When we eat in a way that doesn’t allow our nervous system to fully relax and move into parasympathetic mode, we literally put out less digestive fluids. It’s part of the body’s survival mechanism. We either ask the body to focus and rush and perform (e.g. “fight or flight”). Or we ask it to take a break and build strength and energy for the future via eating (e.g. “rest and digest”). The body cannot do both at once. Witness the diarrhea or nausea many people feel in a stressful situation. Communicate to your body with your actions that it’s safe to relax and let down our guard and focus on digestion and restoring our reserves.
Breathe. The body needs oxygen to properly digest. Help calm your body and support digestion by taking a few, slow, calming breaths when you sit down to a meal – before you start eating.
Relax and Savor. Try to learn to just be in the moment with your food. Colors, textures, aromas, flavors… Most of us are mentally “elsewhere” while we eat. The result? The brain tends to miss out on the entertainment, and we are much more likely to overeat. Distraction increases food intake. Postpone stressful discussions, replying to tense emails, or paying bills until later.
4. Don’t Drink Too Much During Meals
Yes, we need to be hydrated and focus on plain, clean water intake for overall wellness. However, the best time to hydrate is in between meals.
When you consume large amounts of water during a meal, you dilute the acidity of your stomach acid and slow digestion. Depending on your sensitivity, this can cause an early sense of fullness and belching and long-term can cause malnutrition (especially low Vitamin B12, magnesium or iron – all key building blocks for healthy bodily functions).
Tip for building this habit:
If it’s near mealtime and you feel thirsty, make a point of drinking a large glass of water right away. Then allow your body to absorb it while you are in transit to your meal or while you prepare it (ideally 20+ minutes before eating). This allows the water to clear your stomach before its digestive duty begins. Ideally, get in the habit of carrying a water glass or bottle around with you throughout the day and sip on it regularly.
These are indeed simple solutions! But don’t underestimate how powerful they can be.
I have seen many clients dramatically improve their digestion, energy, and nutrition with these steps.
Given our stress-crazed, achievement-obsessed, go-go-go society, however, it can be hard to implement these principles consistently. But you can do it! Like anything else, it just has to be a priority. I recommend printing out a copy of this article and keeping it handy. Share it with the family and you can all work on this together. Repetition and persistence can create Big Change and long-term relief.