Happy Eating

How many of us are genuinely aware of the food that goes into our mouths? Without trying to sound condescending, I am pretty sure most people (including me) have some extremely bad eating habits that we are not even aware of and which are silently having a detrimental effect on our healths. Let's try and get of rid them.

For example, it is so common nowadays to see people skipping breakfast. We dismiss it as a lifestyle choice, but it's a very poor one. Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism early in the day, and having a high metabolism means your body burns more energy in general, which is a good thing. Skipping breakfast results in a lowered metabolism, makes you sluggish, reduces your body's ability to burn energy and can therefore in the long run contribute to obesity. This is a very non-medical, laymen explanation, but this is how I make sense of it. Other common poor habits include eating heavy dinners right before sleeping, not drinking enough water in the day and not including fruits & veggies in your diet. Individually these may not seem to be significant but club all of these together and add to this the lack of exercise in the average person's life, and it's no wonder that people are heading for disaster in their middle/old age. Exercise is one aspect, but diet is an equally important one too. If you are not food aware, even having a good exercise regimen may not be as helpful as you want it to be. After all, we are what we eat. If you are reading this post, and feel that you are not very aware or conscious of your food choices, read on. I will share my laymen understanding of food and my personal food plan. You can make your own. It's good to have a food plan because it is something you are doing all the time for as long as you live. We plan our finances, our holidays and so many other things, so why not our food??

My Simple Food Plan

What & Why

Carbs give us energy, so I need to eat them in the morning because I need energy for the day. Bananas and idli dosa are my personal choices. Proteins are needed for growth and repair, so I have them in the evening and hope that my body uses them while I sleep to repair my muscles. As a vegetarian, dals and lentils are my personal choices. Vitamins & Minerals to me are all those 'cool' chemicals which help in synaptic firing, higher rbc count, richer hemoglobin levels and all that medical stuff that I don't understand. But I know I need them, so I try to drink fresh vegetable juices and mixed fruit juices in the day. Tomato, beetroot, carrot, cucumber, grape, lemon are the typical choices available to me and I try to have as much of them as possible. 2-3 glasses a day. Fats are the food type I don't understand too well, but I do eat a little ice cream and chocolate here and there so I'm pretty sure I get all the fat I need from these sources.

When & How Much

I eat when I feel hungry and I eat just enough or a little less, never more that what I feel like. For me personally, as someone who used to be a glutton, eating just a little bit less than I want brings with it an amazing lightness and sense of balance.

So that's my food plan, plain and simple. It's not very technical. I'm sure it has its flaws and there may be several nutrients that I may be missing out on, but at least it's something I am conscious of and that I try to follow as much as possible. And I've discovered that once you become aware of what you are eating, you automatically stop making poor eating choices. Things like junk food, carbonated beverages and excessive sweets no longer seem appealing because you have experienced the lightness and sense of balance you get from a good diet.

So my simple advice to you would be, whenever you are putting something inside your mouth, just be conscious of which of the food types it falls under, what time of the day you're having it and whether your body genuinely requires it or not. Don't be a blind slave to your taste buds. And before it sounds like some kind of military regimented routine that will suck the life out of enjoying food, I can assure you it is not. Awareness leads to a far more enjoyable eating experience. And I often indulge myself with ice cream or beer without feeling guilty :)

If you've read this far, I hope you found this post to be of at least some utility or value. Leave me a comment with your thoughts. I would love to hear from you on what your food plan is!! Maybe I can pick up a few pointers from you!!