Have you been pestering yourself by eating less in order to lose weight? Have you been measuring the amount of food calories you are gulping down your throat to reduce that extra inch on your belly? There are a lot of people who have been choosing to follow a diet blindly without considering its effects on their body, mind, and overall health. I always ask people to choose mindful eating over blindly dieting.
Mindful Eating is a process-oriented rather than an outcome-driven behavior where you are expected to relish your food moment-by-moment. It has nothing to do with calories, food amount, carbohydrates, and fats, instead, it asks you to eat guilt-free. It does not involve restricting food or food products but encourages you to choose what you want to eat and at what time.
While mindful eating does not offer weight loss diet charts and techniques, it’s likely that those who adopt this behavior of eating can lose weight naturally. It is coincidental that people who choose to relish their eating experience tend to eat less and savor eating more selective food items.
What does Ayurveda say about diet and mindful eating?
Ayurveda believes that our body is made up of the nutrients it receives from the food we digest. The food that is properly consumed becomes a medicine for the body and the mind. Stomach and stomach-troubles related troubles like indigestion disrupt your emotions and hormones; putting your body at risk of gaining weight, inviting unwanted diseases and playing with your everyday mood. An improper digestion leads to the accumulation of toxins or ama in the body that is the core reason for all your disorders.
Ayurveda encourages you to eat food that satisfies your digestive juices and offers you a sense of pleasure and contentment. Do you agree?
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What should be your eating behavior?
- First things first, start by choosing Mindful eating for weight loss. I often suggest individuals pay attention to their digestion system while eating. It is fine to satisfy one’s food needs; however, it is also wise to stop when your hunger is pacified. Please remember, you have to feed your body and stomach, not your emotions.
- Select a place where you can sit and eat peacefully. It is an imperative decision to choose to eat peacefully without watching television, listening to the radio, or being distracted by things happening in front of you.
- The next thing that I would like to emphasize is the incorrect habit of eating while anxious or under some kind of stress. Eating in a stressful or restless state causes chronic disorders. Hence, maintain a peaceful environment while having your breakfast, lunch or dinner.
- I always ask people to eat with their five senses. Food isn’t just there to satisfy your hunger, but also to quench your other senses like color, smell, and taste. It should satisfy your body and mind alike.
What you should eat as per Ayurveda guidelines?
- Be selective for your food and food choices. Choose food items that contain Prana or a life force. I believe that every natural food instills good energy that offers good health.
- Choose sattvic food or food that is easily digestible. As per Ayurveda, Sattvic food acquires nature’s intelligence. People who choose to have sattvic food tend to be aligned with the laws of the cosmos and nature.
- Ayurveda suggests that one should include all six tastes in their food. The different tastes are a code for the brain informing it that the food taken in is to regain the lost energy. If we miss a particular taste or we do not get the right taste we’re craving, we will naturally eat more, leading to indigestion and unhealthy eating habits.
- Always consider warming up your food and water. Never go for cold food or water.
The suggestion is to eat what you like but just to feed your stomach, not the emotions. Dieting might give you results instantly, but mindful eating and a healthy diet will go a long way when it comes to choosing the right food to reduce weight.
Also, Read Ayurvedic Diet in Pregnancy