Rules of Good/Healthy Eating
Eat slowly.
Chew your food until it has turned to mush. This means at least 4-5 chews per bite of food. And no, you can't just take bigger bites so that this is a reasonable amount of chews; take small bites also. Remember that it takes about 15-20 minutes for your satisfied-feeling to get to your brain even if your stomach is bloated and regardless of how much you eat. You could eat 10 plates full of food, and as long as you did it within a few minutes, you still wouldn't feel satisfied. Likewise, you can eat just a smaller portion and feel satisfied if you give your system time for
Don't fantasize about food. It is a proven fact that watching TV makes you want to eat more. It's because of all those mouth-watering commercials with close ups of perfectly prepared food. Don't watch these, it does nothing for your stomach to just think about food. Also, don't fantasize on your own time about just how great devouring an entire ice-cream cone would be. Just push it out of your mind and think of something else, then you won't want it as much. Or, think about how good those fresh strawberries you're going to have with lunch are going to taste.
Keep in mind that sweets aren't the only things that taste good. Yes, everyone knows that cakes and cookies taste good to your taste buds. Have an over-abundance of fatty foods at their disposal and by no means should be eating it as much as some do today. But yes, it does taste so good. But remember, other things taste good, too. These are all perfectly acceptable foods, eaten in moderation of course, as with everything else. And even foods that don't seem so appealing can taste good with a little preparation, such as adding some Cinnamon to applesauce, or cooking broccoli before eating it if you don't like the taste of raw broccoli.
Add Six Tastes in your Food. There are 6 tastes and it’s having a balance of these tastes in our diet that creates harmony in the body and mind. Each taste has contains certain elements (space, air, fire, water, earth), so depending on what you are made of, there are tastes that will be more balancing for you than others.
Eat only when you're hungry. Modern Western culture seems to think that people get hungry at about 9 AM, 12 noon, and again at 6 PM. While this may be a generally good schedule for eating, remember that (usually) you don't have to eat at meal time if you're not hungry yet. Also, if you are hungry between meals, go ahead and have a healthy snack. It's not good to starve yourself between meals; if you allow yourself to become too hungry, you'll just overeat when the meal comes. It's all about listening to your body. You cannot follow this suggestion, however, until you have mastered Step 2, knowing when you're hungry. Another thing to remember is that by eating a little bit whenever you're hungry throughout the day, you shouldn't be eating so much at meal times, because you won't be as hungry and because you haven't waited and starved yourself. If you follow the suggestion of eating between meals if you're hungry, but continue to eat the same amount as if you had not snacked at meal times, you'll only end up gaining weight.
When you're eating a meal, stop when you're satisfied, not when you're full. Don't you hate when you feel as if your stomach is full? This is a sign that you have made a mistake in the way you just ate. After you're done eating, your stomach should not feel empty, but also not completely full. Acquire the habit of eating slowly so you can stop when you are satisfied, not full; the brain needs about 20 minutes to get the "Not hungry anymore" signal.
Know what being hungry feels like. This takes some practice. Know that being hungry is a feeling of needing food, any food, in the pit of your stomach. You are not hungry whenever you want to be, but when you HAVE to be. GO BACK TO MAIN HEATHY EATING PAGE click here, Tweet