The Pearls of Life:
101 Simple Ways to Health and Happiness
Enjoy Your Food
We eat to satisfy
our bodies and give them the nutrients and calories needed to function.
Eating can lift our spirits as well.
Whenever you eat,
ask yourself why you are eating. The honest answer may surprise you.
Have you ever eaten not because you were hungry, but because you were
lonely, stressed, bored, overtired, or with company?
The term “comfort
food” exists for good reason. Many people who gain weight from
overeating do so for reasons other than hunger. Rather than having food
playing a negative role in our lives, we can turn the situation around
to make food our friend and a source of our health and wellness, as it
should be.
- Eat mindfully:
Sit down and eat
slowly. Savor the sight, smell, and the taste of your food. Appreciate
the texture of the food in your mouth. The same applies to drinking
fluids such as water, coffee, or tea. Eating mindfully is a form of
meditation, and it can help manage stress and lift the spirit.
- Eat only when
you feel hungry:
Do not wait until
you are famished to eat. On a fullness scale of zero to ten, zero being
absolute hunger and ten being absolute fullness, start to eat when the
scale comes down to three. Stop eating when the scale reaches six or
seven. It takes about twenty minutes for our brains to get the message
that we are full.
- Do something
else that you like if you find yourself eating for a reason other than
hunger.
- Eat
nutrient-dense foods:
In other words,
give yourself food of the best nutritional quality. You deserve the
best!
- Cook with spices:
Cooking with
herbs and spices not only flavors your meals, but doing so may also help
prevent certain diseases.
- Eat foods that
keep you from feeling hungry for longer periods:
Foods high in
fiber, protein, and water tend to keep you feeling full longer. This
helps control unnecessary nibbling and prevents wild swings of sugar
levels in your body. Fortunately, nutrient-dense foods tend to satisfy
our appetites longer, compared to foods that carry empty calories.
- Take control of
your eating:
If you practice
the above, you will be in charge of your eating. Instead of negative
associations with food, such as feelings of guilt, positive feelings of
well-being will follow.