Are you always busy?

Do you act as if we the world was under a siege and you have to prepare for battle every day?

Well you are not alone. I feel that way quite often

We all seem to be thriving on an auto-pilot mode.

We barely have the time to stop and think about things, least of all about food.

Before you know you are grabbing your next meal at the drive-through, over-stuffing yourself as you drive to your next meeting, gulping down that last huge sip of soda before you enter the office.

Probably it’s a similar story at night as well?

You quickly cook something up, ask the kids to eat quickly so you can be off for their ballet or piano class or soccer practice.

While they take their sweet time to finish the last morsel of food, you’ve gorged down your meal, cleaned the dishes and packed the next day’s lunch and sitting in the car honking for them to hop into the car, as you are already late!

Later at night, as you see yourself in the mirror you wonder why you look bloated. Did you gain weight? Gosh that 6 month preggy look- how you hate it!

You also question why you have that persistent heart burn which keeps you awake night after night. You are fed up of trying sleep while half sitting.

Hmm….So what can you do?

The answer is very simple. Really!

It’s about slowing down and eating in peace.

In my holistic nutrition practice, I always tell my clients to ‘slow down’ while eating. I ask them to eat without distractions of the phone, the TV, emails or reading.

It sounds as a pretty basic advice but it really helps, and my clients will vouch for it.
Whether we are working on fixing digestive issues in the Signature Digestion Intensive or working on losing weight and busting cravings in the Wellness Jump Starter program– this is an important piece incorporated in both programs.

Eating meals by settling down in a comfortable place, free from distractions and in a peaceful setting is crucial for digestion.

Digestion is a high energy consuming process and your body really needs to focus on digestion during and after a meal, to break down the foods properly and begin the absorption and assimilation of nutrients.

Continuing to relax at the completion of a meal, (before you return back to the next meeting or finishing that email), allows for the digestion process to transition smoothly.

Eating peacefully relaxes the digestion and enhances your enjoyment of the food.

This is especially true for people with IBS.
They have a ‘nervous stomach’ so calming down while eating helps tremendously with managing the condition.

The brain technically takes about 20 minutes to realise that you are eating and stomach is filling up with food.

So if you are in the habit of eating too fast, you are more likely to overeat, as your brain has not even registered that you are eating.

The stomach doesn’t get the cue that it’s full and hence you feel stuffed later.

Over eating then leads to weight gain, indigestion and heart-burn.

See the cycle?

This theory to slow down while eating really got reinforced during my recent trip to Portugal and Spain.

The Portuguese love their food. I almost thought eating was the national hobby there. 😉

Cafes are restaurants are busy all the time, irrespective of the time of the day.

But there is a HUGE difference in the people dining there compared to us North Americans.

The diners are focused on enjoying the food.

They are not on their cell phone or lap-tops like our American counterparts.

By the way, there is free wi-fi everywhere, even the tiniest of cafés. But no one is using it!!

They sit there at leisure with family and friends, chatting, laughing, and enjoying to the very last bite.

There is no rush. No sense of urgency.

In fact one of the traditional Portuguese restaurants owners refused to give us take-away food.

He insisted we sit down, relax ourselves and enjoy his wife’s traditional gourmet cooking. He wanted to us to savor every bite, and I am so glad we complied with his request. It was one of the most satisfying meals we’ve ever had.

So do yourselves a favor. Slow down and enjoy your meals.

This way you will not only eat less, but avoid indigestion related troubles like bloating and heart burn.

You work hard to provide yourself with a decent meal then why not savor it?

Want more simple practical tips that’ll help you eat better and ease up your digestion?

I’d be happy to chat with you.
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Just click here to schedule your complimentary phone in discovery session with me.

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