Eating Consciously

I’m not a big believer in astrology. I do believe in it to a certain degree, but not in the way most people think. I take daily horoscopes at face value, however once in a while, I read something that really grabs my attention.

I was reading the paper last week and I came across my horoscope as you see in the picture above.

It was truly uncanny as just that morning, I was in the process of making decisions about my health. Actually, it’s something which had been on my mind from a few weeks before, and that particular day was crunch time.

Specifically, I wanted to give up caffeine (again) as well as drastically reduce my sugar intake. However, the most important thing for me was about changing the way I eat.

If there was a prize for guzzling food down a gullet quickest then I would probably take the top prize for that no problem!

I’ve actually suffered some level of IBS over the past few years and I believe that it comes down to the way I eat more than what I eat.

I believe that the way we eat has just as much of an impact as what we eat. I believe that it’s just as much about thought for food as it is about healthy eating.

We have access to fast food and we eat tend to eat it just as fast as it is delivered.

My fiancee is a wonderful example to me. She always prays before eating and she takes her time and savors the food whilst eating. She never rushes her food and she never wastes anything. Not a single crumb goes to waste! She eats at about half the speed that I do.

I believe that eating consciously is not only important in that we are grateful for the food put in front of us, but also that eating consciously will provide tangible health benefits too; such as: Better digestion and greater absorption of nutrients.

Eating consciously is about taking more time to enjoy food, the tastes, flavours, smells and above all, one of the most important things, is eating guilt free.

I’m certain that when we consume with an attitude of guilt it has repercussions on our health. In the same way stress can cause headaches, bad back, neck ache, joint pains etc, that consuming food with a guilty attitude will cause similar symptoms.

I’ve now made the firm decision that from now on I will be eating more consciously I will be sharing the outcome of this experiment in the future too.

I’m going to attempt to change a lifetime habit and start paying attention to the way I eat.

Here’s a summary of what I will be doing and my Consious Eating Charter (CEC)

1. I’m going to be dropping as much of the caffeine and sugar from my diet as possible.
2. I’m going to pause before I eat anything, and be thankful before I tuck in.
3. I’m still going to eat all the foods I love most, but I’m going to consume them guilt free.
4. When I chew my food I’m going to take my time and chew the food properly.
5. I’m going to pay attention to my appetite, eat when I’m hungry and not out of habit.

Want to join me in this experiment?