Benefits of eating in peace
It is often said ‘You are what you eat’. While, healthy and nutritious food is essential to wellbeing, the way we eat is also equally important. Yes, besides the quality of food, the action and emotion also plays an important role in how the body receives food. According to Ayurveda, sub-optimal digestion is the basis for every known and unknown disease. Falling ill with every change of season, constipation and irritability are clear signs of indigestion. The solutions, however, are so simple if we pay attention.
- Do you sit cross-legged while eating?
- Do you switch off or keep scrolling the screen while eating?
- Do you appreciate your food while you eat?
Remember that sitting on the floor cross-legged is one of the best therapies for our joints. No wonder that it is also the preferred position for prayer and meditation. A stable spine means no paunch and optimum height growth; strong muscles mean good posture and better athletic performance; flexible pelvic joints mean less likelihood of falling and pulling or breaking anything in the body. To top it , sitting cross-legged directs the flow of blood to the stomach, leading to optimum digestion. Isn’t this amazing?
Whether it is phones, iPads or TVs, switch off gadgets of all kinds while eating- it may result in overeating or not eating well. Gazing at the screen while eating could as well result in making wrong food choices. While mealtimes are for nourishment, not entertainment, eating together also strengthens the bond between family members. It is not a task that one should quickly get off the list. Think before you scroll during meal times. Excessive TV has also been linked to family dysfunction.
Watch the food, eat with your hands, smell the aroma, chew and bite into a dish slowly .Keeping all your senses focused on food helps nurture your appetite, help you eat as per body’s needs and, most importantly, allows kids to exercise control over the act of eating.
So simple, right? Yet totally effective. Give it a shot and see the difference.
