Medical News

The way you eat is almost as important as what you eat! I bet that surprised you – I know it did me when I first heard it. I also realised that I had never really learn to eat properly.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO EAT PROPERLY?

Your body has a lot to do with the food that you take into your system. It is your fuel for the day, and your body has to sort it all out and to make sure that the right things end up in the right places – or you won’t be able to function properly. If you’re not eating the bets way for your body, things can end up in the wrong places and this leads to things like candida, headaches, bowel problems and ACNE!

HOW TO EAT PROPERLY

DON’T DRINK WHEN YOU’RE EATING – not even water, but especially not sodas and iced drinks. Your body needs its digestive juices – saliva – to break down the food and make sure that it gets to the right places. If you’re drinking at the same time as you’re eating, it dilutes the saliva and makes it harder for it to do its job.

CHEW YOUR FOOD CORRECTLY – you need to chew your food until it is a soft mush in your mouth – about 32 times for each mouth full. This is something that I remember being told a a child – “Chew your food!“. Life has become so fast these days, that often we eat on the go and swallow food without chewing it much at all. This is making it much harder for your body to digest the food properly, and may add to many health problems – especially skin problems.

COMBINE YOUR FOODS CORRECTLY – it makes it much easier for your body to digest things if it only has to deal with one type of food at a time – because different foods need different types of saliva to be digested properly. So, if you eat carbohydrates – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes – mix them with vegetables and salad rather than proteins – eggs, meat, fish, cheese. If you are eating proteins, eat them with salad and vegetables and miss out the carbohydrates – your body will like it much better, and will be able to work more efficiently and you should start to feel the difference.

BE CAREFUL WHEN AND WHERE YOU CHOOSE TO EAT. If you can, eat when you are feeling relaxed. Sit at a table if possible. Try not to watch TV as you’re eating. If you’re stressed when you’re eating, or not sitting in an upright position – like slumped in front of the TV! – your body will find it much harder to digest your food properly. We know what that leads too..

LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Eat when you’re hungry. It sounds simple, but a lot of us do not listen to our bodies properly, and we mistake thirst for hunger – so if you feel hungry, try drinking water, and then see in 5 minutes if you’re still hungry. At other times, we eat when we’re feeling bored, or sad or angry. Get in the habit of checking in with yourself before you eat without thinking – and see if it might be something other than hunger you’re really feeling. Here’s a hint – if you’re craving one of your comfort foods, it’s often a sign that there’s an emotion hanging around that you’re not that comfortable with. If you learn to eat when you are hungry, your body will be able to do it’s job of digesting food much more efficiently.