In both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the whole spectrum from the “gross” material (food, physical activity) to the subtle energetic (mental, emotional, spiritual) plays an important interconnected, and interdependent role. We are amazing microcosms; we are each an intricate ecosystem of feedbacks. From these holistic perspectives, it is equally important to look at how, when and why we eat as it is to examine what we eat with finely tuned awareness. As you read through this, keep in mind: It's not about perfection, it's about greater and greater connection!

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HOW:

 

Food likes to go slow; it needs to be romanced ;) Eating and stress don't mix. Neither do eating and multi-tasking or eating on the run. Anything that takes out of our rest and digest parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and activates our action oriented sympathetic nervous system (SNC) is no bueno for digestion and absorption.

 

Maybe you have forgotten what relaxed mealtimes and eating feel like. Many of us grew up without learning to slow down for meals. But almost everyone has had the experience of being on vacation and enjoying a meal slowly like never before, bringing all of our senses to the table! Eating is one of the most sensual experiences that we can enjoy; so why do so many of us deney ourselves this simple daily, healthy pleasure? I'm not talking about gluttony; gluttony is about eating to fill some kind of void, overcompensating with food.

 

First we need to shift into “vacation mode,” or at least put our bodies and our minds at ease. When we are stressed, anxious, overthinking and/or in a hurry, our breathing changes; our breath becomes shallow or we hold it in. Diminished breathing means diminished oxygen, which means a snuffed out digestive fire. To digest, we need oxygen; it’s the catalyst for metabolizing our food; Just like any fire, it won’t burn for long, or it will go out entirely, without oxygen. So, first we need to get ourselves relaxed; and the best way to regulate our nervous system is with conscious, slow, full, comfortable breathing without any force. So, start your meal with a few deep breaths; this is also the perfect time to give thanks and appreciate the meal you are about to take in with a blessing!

 

Now that we are relaxed, we can allow ourselves the luxury of taking the meal slowly. If we eat like it’s a race and shovel food into our faces without taking so much as a breath, inhaling our food, we don’t allow room for breathing and circulating oxygen to keep our digestive fire kindled and strong. Essentially, if we cram food down, it’s like putting a wet blanket on a fire, you end up with a damp log. How does that sound? A damp log in your stomach? Probably not very comfortable. Have you ever felt like you had a log in your stomach, like the food was just sitting there not moving?  That could very well due to a lack of oxygen.

 

So, since we're talking about how to eat, let's talk about how much. As you are eating slowly, when do you stop? You’ve probably heard the pithy phrase “everything in moderation.” That sounds like a good start, but what exactly IS moderate? The Japanese have a say “Hara Hachi Bu.” Basically, it translates into “eat until 80 percent full.” It’s a little prayer or mantra that is said before meals. But what does 80% feel like? For me, I know i’m getting close when I start to feel weight in my belly; I’m not full, but I’m no longer hungry, and I can still take deep, full breaths.  Another cue I feel for is a slight pressure, a gentle whisper, from my spleen. Your spleen is under the left ridge ribcage, so listen for its voice. FYI, it could also be that I am sensing my upper left small intestine releasing cholecystokinin (CCK), one of the hormones involved in signaling satiety.

 

To stay in “vacation mode” and eat slowly, it's important to stay grounded in the present, without ruminating about the past or future or some present stressor. I actually have a lot of creative thoughts when I am relaxed and eating; it's tempting to stop and jot them down, but when I do, I can feel the shift pulling me away from enjoying the moment. So, I practice trust, trust that I can let the good ideas go and that they will resurface when I need them.  This usually happens, or a better idea takes it's place. Eating is a perfect time to allow your thoughts to be fluid, to allow them to pass through your mind just like you would like your food to move easily through your digestive tract. It's just you and your food, right here, right now. Nothing to do but eat, breath, take it all in and enjoy!

Yes, you can enjoy your meal even at your office desk! Eating is literally one of the most sensual experiences. So, eat sensually, bringing all of your senses to the table and to your eating experience: the presentation, the colors, the smells, the temperature, the texture. Eating is meant to be pleasurable. Marc David explains it well in his book The Slow Down Diet: 

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The class of chemicals most people associate with pleasure are the endorphins. These substances are naturally produced throughout the body – most notably in the brain and the digestive system – and they exist, in part, to make us happy. The simple act of eating raises our levels of endorphins. This tells us that eating is an inherently pleasurable experience because biochemistry makes it so. What’s most unusual about the endorphins is that not only are they molecules of pleasure, but they also stimulate fat mobilization. In other words, the same chemical that makes you feel good burns body fat. Furthermore, the greater the endorphin release in your digestive tract, the more blood and oxygen will be delivered there. This means increased digestion, assimilation, and ultimately greater efficiency in calorie burning.

 

Of course, anything can be taken too far. You can indulge in the "pleasure" of eating a mono-diet of donuts and pizza, but your body will quickly tell you, "This is not what we mean!!!" As always, you can hear and heed the call or turn a deaf ear. The end game of that kind of diet is metabolic syndrome, no matter how much joy and love you throw at it. Chances are, if you are on that kind of diet, you are not feeling so joyful much of the time; eating these "comfort" foods becomes a maladapted coping mechanism to try and feel better for a fleeting, short-lived moment. Not to say that comfort does not have it's place in healthy eating, it sure does. 

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WHEN:

 

Our physical bodies really are connected to the heavens. This is not just some romantic notion. When we wake in the morning, our basal body temperature begins to rise with the sun. At midday, between eleven and two, our metabolism peaks and then starts to decline.  Familiar with the afternoon slump? It’s natural, so go with it and choose activities that do not require as much “brain power”... a walk, or a rest, or more “receptive” work like reading. We have another little metabolic bump in the evening between four and six pm.  So, when do you think it would be the best time to enjoy your biggest meal?

 

If you guessed dinner, well, sorry no. That answer is probably a result of social conditioning and the effects of skipping meals and/or eating on the run due to the go-go-go busyness that we sooo adore in our culture. Lunchtime people! That’s the time to eat your biggest meal! Our hormones follow a diurnal wave along with our body temperatures. Ayurveda and TCM instruct us to eat our biggest meal when the sun is highest in the sky (or between 11 am and 1:30 pm), understanding that we will store that energy for when we naturally tend to be most active in the afternoon and evening. Makes cosmological and biological sense.

 

So, if you want to give your body a gift, attune your meal times to the natural circadian rhythm. Start your day with a healthy sized breakfast.  Harness the power of your diurnal metabolic curve by making lunch your biggest meal, fueling up for your temperature peak in the afternoon and evening.  And make dinner the lightest meal of the day, between 5 and 7 is optimal; give yourself at least 3 hours before you go to sleep. During a good nights sleep with a well-fed body and a pleasantly empty stomach, our digestive system takes a break from digesting food and switches tasks to cleaning, detoxifying, repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue.

 

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WHY:

 

Check in next week… working on this section ;)

 

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WHAT:

I’ll keep this section brief as the other pages on this site dive into this more deeply.  Quality, nutrient dense, mostly whole foods with some minimally/traditionally (not industrially) processed foods (whole grain pasta/bread/tortillas),  predominantly plant based is a good foundation. The question is: What foods in what amounts and frequency make you feel foggy, heavy and bring you out of balance, creating a vicious cycle?  What foods in what amounts and frequency leave you feeling nourished, light and bring you toward homeostasis and a virtuous cycle?