15 Healthy Eating Habits

Make sure the place you are eating is a calm environment where you can be relaxed while you consume your meals. We can NOT digest our food when we are in a "fight-or-flight" state of being. So take time to make sure your space is clean, calm, and quiet. You can add flowers to the table and have a view that looks outside to a tree or yard. This means NOT eating in your car or while you are walking around. Take time to sit down and RELAX before you eat.

Try to “see food as medicine.” When you think about the meal that you are going to eat, make sure it has good “energy” to it. Eating is a way of taking the outside world in. So consider if the food is packaged, old (tamasic), or rushed (fast food). Think about where and how the food is sourced. It also means consider the energetic qualities to what you are consuming.

For a lot of us, we've lost (or never had) a practice of saying grace before each meal. For many, there is an aversion to saying a prayer because it is associated with a habit we were forced to do growing up or really never understood its importance. There is a power to taking a moment before each meal to appreciate where the food came from, who helped prepare or grow it, and how it got to your plate. For me, it puts me in a state of deep gratitude for where I am in my life and the food I have in front of me, which I see as love/medicine.

So many times we are trying to multi-task when we eat. I know for me, there is this thought of, “what should I do while I’m eating?” And the answer to that is, “just allow yourself to eat your meal!” When we engage in conversation, read, or watch television we miss important signals from our body and then we overeat. 

When we give ourselves time to look, smell, touch, hear and taste our food, it allows for optimized digestion, and we can hear our bodies signals that we are full. Using your senses while you eat tells your body what food you are consuming. This allows for salivation, which brings with it enzymes that begin to break down the food. It also tells the stomach what is coming and increases digestive enzymes to be ready to digest the meal properly. 

Additionally, when we aren’t eating distracted, we notice signals our bodies give us saying we are full. Try having one meal a day (or more) where you sit in silence without distractions. Watch to see if this changes how you feel after the meal.

t’s really important to be in a state of mind where you are able to “take food/nutrients into the body.” When we are emotional or upset… or STRESSED, our bodies will not properly digest the food we are consuming. 

We have all had the experience when we are having a conversation with someone over a meal and all of a sudden it gets “heated.” That emotional trigger goes on and all of a sudden, you have no appetite. Don’t eat when you are angry, worried, stressed, or emotional! This includes listening to news or being engaged in social media while you eat. Your body will not digest the food when you’re in an excited or emotional state.

We all remember being kids and having some adults tell us to “slow down and chew your food” when we were younger, right?! I do at least. Chewing your food makes it easier for your stomach to do its job and allows for proper digestion. Food starts to breakdown in your mouth through chewing and releasing digestive enzymes to begin breaking down carbohydrates. When you don’t do that, it makes the work of your stomach much harder (especially since it doesn’t have teeth!). You might notice indigestion more if you aren’t fully chewing your food.

I heard an Ayurvedic Doctor say once, “chew till there is no more flavor to the food.” I think of it as “all the flavors are combined.” Give your digestion a fighting chance by mindfully eating and noticing how you chew your next meal.

In Ayurveda, they consider the stomach to be the “fire” or “cooking pot” of the digestive system. When we are having digestive issues, eating foods that are cooked and nourishing is key to optimize the digestive process. Eating a lot of raw and cold foods takes more work for the body to heat it up and break the food down. So by eating warm foods, it’s helping with the digestive process. The analogy that is often used is not putting a bunch of ice on your fire. It’ll only put out the digestive fire.

The drier your food is, the harder it is to digest. We have become a society of the “crunchy munchies” and our digestive systems are challenged because if it. When you eat a lot of dry/packaged foods, it dries up the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. The cells within the mucous membranes of the small intestine secrete enzymes to break down your food. When they become dry, it becomes difficult to break down your food and causes dry stool… which leads to constipation. If you notice that you’re constipated, try weaving in some healthy fats to each meal. Some of my favorite fats & oils to like to use in my cooking are coconut oil, avocado oil, ghee, and olive oil. I look for brands that are organic or sourced from countries that don’t heavily spray their crops.

 This doesn’t mean eating fried foods though. Foods cooked at that high a temperature become heavy and dull. We want to consume oils and fats that satiate and satisfy us, but don’t leave us feeling heavy and lethargic.

 Also, eat foods that have more moisture. Your body will tell you if it’s dry. You’ll be able to see this with dry lips or skin. When I get dry lips, I know my body is asking for more hydrating foods. It’s great to incorporate foods like fruits and veggies that have a nice water content to them. Some of my favorites right now are celery, carrots, leafy greens (chard is my fav!), and jicama.

The stomach is considered the “fire” of the body that breaks down your food to allow it to be absorbed properly. If you drink too much water with your meal, it’ll alter the pH of the stomach and dilute your stomach acid. Like dumping a huge bucket of water on your campfire… it’s suddenly not a fire anymore!

It’s recommended to only take no more than ½ cup of room temperature water (4 oz) during the meal. You might need a little more if you’re eating a drier meal or less if you’re eating soup. It’s important that the water is room temperature and not cold. Your body contracts when it takes in cold foods and drink. Cold water will make digestion much harder.

In Ayurveda the stomach is considered the “fire” or the “cooking pot” of the body. It’s essential to keep that fire stocked when you are eating your meals. When you drink cold liquids, it creates a contraction within the body. That contraction is going to make it really difficult to digest your food. This is a hard one for many people I work with cause they LOVE their iced beverages. A good experiment for you would be to have a meal with room temp water and see how the digestion goes. Then at the next meal, where you’re eating roughly the same thing, drink ice water and see what happens to your stomach. For me, my body tells me immediately that it’s not having it. It tells me it’s a “hard NO!”

I always get asked, “what about salads?” If what’s on the salad isn’t right out of the fridge and you’re adding some acid to it (like apple cider vinegar or lemon/lime), then generally it tends to work for people. But if you’re in the middle of winter and it’s 30 degrees outside… maybe not what your body is asking for. 

You probably guessed it… ice cream is not recommended when you are having digestive issues. If you eat ice cream regularly, take it out of your diet for a week and see if some of your digestive issues ease up. It doesn’t mean you can never eat it again but make it only on special occasions when your digestion is pretty good.

In Ayurveda, we learn that our emotions are a huge component of how we digest (or DON’T digest/absorb) our food. Your mindset towards food is key. When you start to see your meals and mealtime as a sacred ritual of fueling the body, how you see the food you eat changes drastically. Don’t feel guilty about eating a cookie! If you want a cookie and you know it’s going to bring you joy, EAT THE COOKIE! Don’t feel guilty about it and then sad you made the decision. Sometimes we all just need to eat the cookie. They are delicious.

Scanning the body can give you confidence in your food choices and make you feel good about your decision of what to eat. You walk away from the meal feeling good and vibrant. Don’t get caught in negative mind loops around your food decisions, be confident in what you’re eating. This doesn’t mean continuing to eat lots of processed and low-nutrition foods. It means taking responsibility for your food choices and then being confident about those decisions.

Be kind to yourself as you are making these changes to your life.

This is one of the most important healthy eating guidelines! You need to learn how to know when your body is 75-80% full and then stop eating!!! Your body gives you signals when it’s getting full and running low on digestive enzymes. It’s called burping… no seriously! Your stomach is like a washing machine. It needs some room to be able to stir up the “cooking pot.” If you fill it too full, it’s like trying to cram your duvet comforter, 2 sets of sheets, and 4 towels into the washer… nothing is gonna get cleaned (or broken down efficiently in the case of the stomach). Your stomach will send a signal “up the line” in the form of a burp when it’s starting to get full.

In Ayurveda, the first burp you notice is called the “yogi burp.” Since yogis don’t do too much manual work in their life, they would stop eating after the first burp. The second burp is called the “bogi burp.” The bogi is the everyday house holder. Those of us that are in the world working, having families, and contributing to the systems of society. So once you notice the second burp, stop eating! The third burp is referred to as the “rogi burp.” The rogi is a thief that steals your health. Try to stop before you get to the third burp and walk away feeling satisfied with your meal, but not stuffed or uncomfortable. You want to walk away from each meal feeling light in the body and clear in the mind.

We are always in such a hurry to get everything done in a day, that even the act of eating a meal is rushed. This becomes a problem when you learn how your body works. When you are in a parasympathetic nervous system state (PNS/”rest & digest”), the body can relax, prepare to break down food, and then digest. If we move too quickly to the next thing on our to-do list, we put ourselves into a sympathetic nervous system state (SNS). This is what happens when we are trying to “survive” in our world. The “going” and “doing” that is so normalized it is not allowing you to properly digest.

So, give yourself 15-20 mins after a meal to slowly transition into your next meeting or task. If you have a park or trail near you, go for a nice slow walk and appreciate being outside. If you find that your schedule doesn’t give you that much time, then even 10 full deep breaths after your last bite of food can help you digest. 

Most of the time we are snacking because we are bored or dealing with emotional things, not because we are hungry. For healthy digestion, it’s important to assess if your body is asking you for food/fuel, or if it’s just bored. Eating is emotional. There is no doubt about that. So, noticing when and why we are eating is a good practice.

Sometimes we eat because we are looking for more hydration. So, drinking an 8 oz cup of water and then seeing if you’re still hungry is helpful. Or even just small sips of warm water. That is really hydrating for your body.

Put away the snacks. Don’t leave snacks and candies out on the counter. It makes it harder to realize when you are just consuming to satisfy boredom vs really being hungry. This small shift can have huge impact on your digestion.

In Ayurveda they teach that taking more food before you are truly hungry leads to poor digestion. It’s kinda like a campfire. If you keep putting kindling in the fire constantly throughout the day, then you’ll have this semi-ignited fire, but doesn’t really get nice and hot. You don’t want to put too much wood on either, then it’ll stifle the fire and will burn out. 

Wait for your body to tell you it’s hungry and ready for food, then sit down and have a nice meal that’s satisfying and leaves you feeling good in your body. Let that meal be your fuel you will use until your next meal (or till next day you eat). This allows for your body to “clean up the line.” In the periods between your meals, the gut acts as a "migrating motor complex," contracting to push undigested food through the digestive system. When you snack all day, the migrating motor complex stops. You don't want to be eating all the time because the 'cleaning' will stop. I’ve heard from health experts that you want you body to “clean the line” 11 times each day. So, try to space your meals out long enough that you really feel hungry and your body is asking for more fuel.