Healthy Eating - Get in
the Habit
Do you have the right attitude to food?
'You are what you eat' but our eating
habits are just as important as the food
choices we make in achieving and
maintaining health. An old saying 'Worry
and hurry are enemies of digestive health'
are truer today than ever before. In order
to truly benefit from the dietary changes
we make, it is important to adopt healthy
eating habits.
Top tips for healthy eating habits:
Get
cooking...
Prepare as many meals yourself as
possible.
Chopping, preparing and
simmering food creates incredible aromas.
It doesn't only make your kitchen smell
lovely; it also kicks off the secretion of
digestive enzymes which are essential for
complete digestion of macronutrients.
Touching, tasting and smelling food before
you eat it will prepare the body for
digestion, prevent overeating and improve
your psychological relationship with food.
Be
clever
about
preparation
Fruit Heart Shop for fresh food regularly
and keep your pantry stocked with good
staples to make it easier to eat a healthy
diet. Whenever you cook or prepare food,
make double and freeze in individual
containers for future meals. When
preparing dinner make lunch at the same
time to save time. The best preparation is
knowledge about healthy food options - a
well informed choice will be the healthiest
choice.
Eat
regularly
Eat at least every 4-5 hours. Our bodies need
regular fuel to maintain blood sugar levels &
metabolism but enough time to complete
digestion before more food is eaten. Avoid
skipping meals by having balanced snacks on
hand for busy times. Hunger is a sign of low
blood sugar and will lead to poor food choices
& overeating if ignored.
Avoid
overeating
Overeating occurs when we skip meals, eat too
quickly or don't satisfy our taste buds.
Overeating stresses the liver and the digestive
tract. Our digestive fire is at its peak around
noon, a time that is most efficient at converting
food into energy rather than storing it as fat.
Be
ready
to
eat
Ask yourself how hungry you are before and
after each meal. Take 5 minutes to relax before
a meal if you feel stressed. Do not eat your
meal in front of the computer or while working.
Stop eating when you are almost full, to gauge
whether you need any more. It takes
approximately 20 minutes for our brains to
receive the signal of satisfaction, produced by
gut hormones, during a meal.
Drink
plenty
of
water
Drink at least 2 litres (8 glasses) of water
between meals each day. This can include
herbal teas as well as diluted fruit juices. Try
and avoid drinking excessively during a meal
as this can reduce enzyme activity. A good
alternative to water can be Green Tea
or Cherry Active which is high in its ORAC
values.
Chew
Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing
and the secretion of enzymes. Eating
quickly increases the amount of air and the
size of food swallowed. This will lead to
inadequate digestion and an increase in
gas production
Go
50%
raw
Have half of your vegetables and fruit
intake raw (e.g. salads) unless otherwise
stated by your healthcare practitioner. Fruit
and vegetables contain