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?

3 Responses

  1. Dan Garner says:

    Hi Amit,

    If you have IBS, try going wheat (gluten) free for a couple of weeks. Gluten wreaks havoc on our digestive system. You do not have to be celiac to have problems with gluten. Over 30 % of the population is believed to be gluten sensitive. Removing wheat from my diet and replacing it with rice noodles and other safer alternatives worked wonders for me.

    Dan @ Healthy Food Matters

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Hi Dan,

      Thanks for the tips, I often do eat things which are gluten free, however, I’ve found that the difference to my digestion has been negligible. I can usually eat wheat products and be absolutely fine. I had a salad last week and it flared up quite badly. It’s been hit and miss for me. Sometimes it’s absolutely fine for weeks and then suddenly it will begin.

      I mostly drink rice milk as I gave up milk some years ago, although I do still have it occasionally. I have Soya milk with my coffee (although less so now).

      I find one product which works wonders for me, is a product which is commonly used in India is Isabgol (Psyllium Husks). I don’t have it that often but when I do it is amazing.

  2. skittles234 says:

    Wow it’s amazing what foods and ways of eating can do to our body! I love this article and your fiancee sounds like a very sensible lady 😀 especially if she prays before she eats because that shows that she’s grateful to God for what she has been given. And the fact that she savours every morsel shows that she really appreciates and enjoys all the flavours that go into every dish 🙂

    I strongly echo your sentiments about eating guilt-free: a lot of people I know tend to gorge on junk food then they complain about weight and digestive issues. If you want to have that chocolate bar, go for it! Savour the way the chocolate melts in your mouth but don’t complain about how many calories you’ve had or how many hours you’ll have to spend in gym to work it off.

    My theory is this: work out, eat healthily and then indulge in a delicious dessert! 😀
    I maintain this routine 3 times a day everyday and it keeps me healthy because I’ve had a nutritious meal and it keeps me happy because I’ve enjoyed the dessert indulgence! 🙂

    At the end of the day, it’s all in the mind. What we think about certain foods has more of an impact than the amount we eat.

    Excellent article dude you’ve raised a lot of interesting ideas which I hope more people will look into like you are 🙂 xx

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