Simple food and wellness choices- Part Two

Finding the right diet can be challenging. By diet, I mean establishing everyday eating habits to maintain the healthiest body both inside and out. Here are a few more simple ways to start a diet that works.

When to eat

There are a lot of opinions and research on when to eat meals-what time of day-how many hours to space meals and should we eat snacks in between? Ultimately it depends on each individual's lifestyle. One question, to determine when and how much to eat, might be how active a person is daily. Not just from an exercise standpoint, but are they sitting most of the day, or are they moving most of the day?

Generally, I recommend eating a small to medium breakfast and making lunch the most substantial meal of the day. Metabolism, digestive fire, and activity are usually the most optimal around lunchtime. Plus, this gives us time to digest a big meal, making evenings more comfortable through sleep time.

What about dinner? From an Ayurvedic view eating a small meal at dinner is best. A small bowl of soup, a salad or some fruit are great options. Even if we are fixing a large meal for a family, we can minimize portions and limit harder to digest foods in the evening. Harder to digest foods would be red meat, bread, and sweets.

Again this is general, and each of us is different. I find if I have to get up early to teach a yoga lesson, I need a little bit more food in the evening. But most always, I eat early enough, so sleep is not disturbed. I am sure you have heard to give yourself two hours after a meal, especially a big, fatty meal, before going to sleep? Sometimes if we go to bed too early after this type of meal, we may experience discomfort from indigestion, gas, heartburn-just to name a few.

Snacks or no snacks?

A hard one! I love snacks! Many advise against snacks. When I worked a corporate career, I needed snacks a few times a day as the days were long, stressful, and full of many projects. If we are very active throughout the entire day, we may need snacks as well. We all know the excellent sugary snacks, so I will not list those. Alternatives could be fruit, nuts, veggies, and crackers with nut butter.

Timing is everything

Taking all of what I have said so far into account, it is essential to understand when we are hungry. Most of us know when we reach the point of ravenous, when blood sugar drops, when we cannot go on without eating. But do we understand when we are just getting hungry? At the point when we are just getting hungry, it is time to eat. It sounds simple, but we sometimes miss the window and then sometimes eat because we think it is time. I can go for hours without eating; when I miss the "just getting hungry" window, I cannot see straight. I need food immediately! It is lovely to eat when hunger just sets in, food is enjoyable, and the urge to overeat is less likely to happen.

Practicing one or a few of these suggestions might lead to feeling better and eating better!