Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible – all which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and incorporating them in a way that works for you.By developing your own plan for healthy eating, you’ll be able to expand your range of healthy choices to include a variety of delicious. Using guidelines and tips for creating and maintaining a satisfying, healthy diet, you can learn how to approach food in a smarter, healthier way.

Eating smart: The first step towards healthy eating

Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”. It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat. Paying attention to what you eat and choosing foods that are both nourishing and enjoyable helps support an overall healthy diet.

• Take time to chew your food: Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.

• Avoid stress while eating: When we are stressed, our digestion can be compromised, causing problems like colitis and heartburn. Avoid eating while working, driving, arguing, or watching TV (especially disturbing programs or the news). Try taking some deep breaths prior to beginning your meal, or light candles and play soothing music to create a relaxing atmosphere.

• Listen to your body: Ask yourself if you are really hungry, and stop eating when you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly. Eating just enough to satisfy your hunger will help you remain alert, relaxed and feeling your best, rather than stuffing yourself into a “food coma”!

• Eat early, eat often: Starting your day with a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating the majority of your daily caloric allotment early in the day gives your body time to work those calories off. Also, eating small, healthy meals throughout the day, rather than the standard three large meals, can help keep your metabolism going and ward off snack attacks.

Eating while multitasking, whether working through lunch or watching TV while eating dinner, often leads us to eat more. On the other hand, eating “mindfully,” savoring every mouthful, enhances the experience of eating and keeps us aware of how much we take in.

Our fast-food culture is one where meals have become yet another task we squeeze in during the day. It is all too common to hear of people grabbing breakfast on the run or attending a lunch meeting, where business is front and center and food is merely the bait to get people there.

How to Practice Eating Mindfully

Simple first steps toward introducing mindfulness while eating:

• Eat with chopsticks.
• Eat with your non-dominant hand.
• Chew your food 30 to 50 times per bite.
• Eat without TV, newspaper or computer.
• Eat sitting down.
• Put the proper portions of food on your plate and try to make the meal last at least 20 minutes.

THE ABOVE ARTICLE CAN BE SUMMED UP AS UNDER EAT RIGHT TO STAY FIT AND HEALTHY!!!!!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.