Could it be true that some of those old wives tales that our grandmothers told us were actually true?

Whilst there has been an explosion in understanding about diet, nutritional advice, and various methods of losing weight, one of the key areas that continues to be forgotten is “how” we eat.

The whole process of digestion is an amazingly complex and synchronised process, which starts with the mere thought or smell of food. A flood of chemicals and enzymes are released in a finely tuned manner in a way that modern science could not ever hope to replicate. The saliva that is secreted contains ptyalin an enzyme released to breakdown starch. The stomach produces hydrochloric acid and pepsin, whilst the pancreas releases bicarbonate, pancreatic enzymes and hormones, and the liver and gall bladder secrete bile.

In order to assist our bodies perform its task optimally, it is helpful to address the question of how to eat. Here are a few neat cheats!

1) Eat in a settled, non hurried atmosphere, sitting down.

 A sure fire way of creating digestive upset is to eat when you are feeling stressed, anxious, angry or in a hurry. In our fast food culture it is common to see people eating on the run whilst walking or driving, paying no attention at all to their food. Ayurvedic medicine describes the digestive system as “the digestive fire” or “Agni”. Eating in a calm settled environment and relaxed frame of mind without hurry is essential to maintain the digestive fire in good health.

2) Chew your food till it becomes liquid

 Apart from ptyalin, there are other constituents within saliva that assists with the digestive process. The less the food is chewed, the more the stomach and small intestine has to work in order to breakdown the food, and the higher the likelihood of having improperly digestive food. In Ayurvedic terms, these undigested food particles are called “ama” and can act as toxins. It is difficult to translate “ama” into western medicine equivalent but by chewing your food well, you are assisting the process that your body is performing.

3) Eat till you are only half full

 This is a key point if you are trying to lose weight. Often due to habit we eat to maximum capacity. Ayurveda states that the stomach should be left half or at least one third empty. By doing this the digestive system is not overburdened. Using the analogy of the fire, if you throw too many logs on the fire, the fire will eventually go out. By eating a moderate amount, you can still eat more frequent meals and allow your digestive fire to process and assimilate the nutrients. A useful technique to eating smaller meals is to put your knife and fork down till the mouthful has been fully chewed, or to use a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon.

4) Eat only if you are hungry

 Due to habit, many of us have got into the habit of eating 3 meals a day whether we are hungry or not. Many people have even lost the sensation of what real hunger is. Hunger is the signal that the body requires food and is ready to process food. Eating in the right proportion when the body is hungry will allow proper assimilation of nutrients and this will result in you feeling energised, as opposed to feeling dull, heavy and lethargic.

5) Offer a thought or prayer of gratitude before eating

 This is a very practical exercise rather than a spiritual one! The food that we eat ultimately forms what we call the physical body. Hence the whole process that occurs starting from the very seed being sown by the farmer, to the care and harvesting, to the transportation to the grocer, and ultimately the person who cooks the food and serves it front of us, goes into this thing we call food! Given the miraculous complexity of the creation of food as well as the incredible nature of our digestive processes, it makes sense to pause for a moment.

Though these appear to be glaringly obvious, it is remarkable when we pay attention to these points how much of a difference this can add to well being. The natural result is better digestion, greater energy, and more effortless weight normalisation.