Optimize your Digestion

“Food that is eaten is divided three-fold. The gross part becomes waste. The middle part becomes flesh. The subtle part becomes the mind.” -Chandogya Upanishads

Choose 2-3 of the following healthy eating practices to incorporate into your meal rituals. Keeping a food journal to record your conscious eating experiences may help you become more aware of how these simple practices can transform how you digest your food and nourish the mind, body, spirit.

• Sit quietly for a few minutes before and after each meal.
• Eat in a quiet, settled, comfortable environment.
• Never eat when you are upset.
• Always sit down to eat.
• Eat only when you are hungry.
• Pay attention to your internal signals.
• Eat at a comfortable pace, an stay conscious while eating.
• Don’t engage in other activities while eating.
• Include all six tastes in every meal.
• Eat freshly prepared foods. Lightly cooked foods are preferable to raw or over-cooked foods.
• Favor plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and healthy fats.
• Finish chewing and swallowing what’s in your mouth before taking another bite.
• Chew solid food until it is liquid before swallowing.
• Swish your liquid food in your mouth as if “chewing,” and then swallow.
• Minimize ice cold foods/beverages.
• Sip warm water with your meals.
• Stop eating when you are satisfied.
• Digest the previous meal before starting the next one.
• Allow intervals of 2-3 hours for light meals and 4-6 hours for full meals.