FULL-LIFE EATING GOAL: eat small amounts of food six times a day, every day
Practise hara hachi bu This Okinawan eating practice translates as '80 percent' and means that traditional Okinawans stop eating when they're 80 percent full. This is a great way to avoid overeating because it gives your brain time to notice what's in your tummy and send an 'I' m full' signal. Instead of reaching for seconds, put your fork down and clear the table as soon as you feel the first sight twinges of fullness. (Return to the table for more conversation or take cups of tea into the living room with your dining companions to extend the pleasure of your meal.) 'When you start to feel full, your stomach really has become full,' Dr Willcox says, 'but physiologically, there's about a 20 minute delay before the stomach tells the brain.'
Downsize your dinnerware In recent years, many tableware manufacturers have increased the size of the plates and bowls they sell to keep pace with the larger portions to which we've grown accustomed. If you tend to overeat, serve meals on salad plates instead of dinner plates.
Never skip breakfast The first meal of the day revs up your metabolism and fills your belly with the fuel you need for energy. A good breakfast prevents excessive eating later in the day. If you're not a natural breakfast lover, wait till an hour after you wake up before eating. Or try an unconventional meal, such as a sandwich or bowl of soup.
Practise the 3 hour rule Don't let more than 3 hours pass between your meals and snacks. Eating regularly keeps you from becoming ravenous or experiencing the effects of low blood sugar; feeling lightheaded and low on energy. Moderate-sized meals and snacks can also help you to avoid overeating because it's comforting to know that there's another chance to eat coming soon.
Make lunch the big meal of the day In traditional European societies, the midday meal is the star. Not only do people take time to linger together over the food, but they also eat more of it than they do at dinner - giving their bodies more time for digestion and more fuel for the rest of the day. Eating a bigger lunch can also help you to avoid the late-afternoon slump that can lead to overeating and to poor food choices such as sweets and snack foods.
Set a new second helpings rule Allow yourself second helpings only of fruit and vegetables, not of grains, fat or meats.
Eat 90 percent of your meals at home You're more likely to eat high-fat, high-calorie, highly processed foods away from home than in your own kitchen or dining room. And you'll avoid the temptation of large restaurant portions too.
Eat slowly and calmly Set aside at least half an hour to eat each meal of the day. Make the food last for that whole length of time by eating slowly and stopping frequently to enjoy the conversation of your companions, the view out of the window or the music on the radio. This slow-eating strategy gives your brain the opportunity to notice how much you've already eaten and send a signal that you're done.
Practise the grounded-fork rule To help to slow your eating, force yourself to put down your fork after every bite and do not pick it up until you've swallowed what you've just put in your mouth.
Choice 7 Enjoy Eating
Welcome to the last choice of full-life eating: enjoyment. Seems a little redundant, doesn't it? We've mentioned taste and flavour countless time throughout this chapter, and we've repeatedly made the point that healthy eating is a celebration, full of pleasure and ritual. So why this particular topic again?
Simple. Many people don't eat for enjoyment or nourishment. They eat because they're nervous or bored or frustrated or because at 3.30 pm, it's just second nature to take a break and have a chocolate bar. Or they eat because they feel they have to - Mum would be insulted, after all, if you didn't have seconds.
Other reasons why we eat are more positive, even if misguided. We show affection with food ('I love you so much, here are two boxes of chocolate!'). We celebrate with food. We assuage our guilt with food ('I' m really sorry, I brought you a cake as a peace offering.') We reveal our heritage and tradition with food. In this modern world, eating is habit, ritual, therapy and relaxation. All this is well intentioned, but at what cost to our health?
Sometimes the problem is merely hectic living. Do you eat so fast you can't remember what you;ve just consumed, mindlessly nibble while wathcing TV or find yourself gobbling fast-food meals in the car while you drive? While all of us eat on the run occasionally, if you make a habit of eating quickly and without pleasure, you will miss out on the profound life and health-enhancing joys of the table.
In cultures where people live long, healthy lives, meals are events. In Japan, for example, 'Okinawans look for meaning in food and in meals,' notes Dr Willcox. Instead of opening a packet of biscuits when guests arrive, Okinawans respectfully serve tea. Gathering around the table is a social time as much as a time for food. There's more conversation, more time between bites of rice or fish or vegetables. When this type of meal is over, you leave the table with a full belly and a full heart.
Eating slowly - and savouring the colours, textures, temperatures and flavours of foods - enhances digestion, discourages overeating and promotes relaxation. Sharing a meal or snack with friends is a stress-reducing opportunity to reconnect. Now take the pleasure a step or two further. Shop unhurriedly for fresh ingredients and enjoy the sensual experience of washing, chopping and cooking them to create a wonderful meal for yourself and others.
Each of us has deeply embedded habits and prejudices regarding food. Our message: reconsider the role of food in your daily life. Are you eating merely out of habit? Is food providing solace for insecurities or frustrations? How many times a day do you gobble down food mindlessly, without the flavour even registering?
Be a mindful eater. Don't focus just on the right foods but also on the right reasons to eat - for nourishment, health, social ritual and, of course, enjoyment. A bag of crisps may sound like the right medicine for a tough day, but we suggest hugs or a walk instead - followed by a healthy sit-down meal with someone you love.
Smart Ways
To Celebrate food
FULL-LIFE EATING GOAL: enjoy laughter, conversation and relaxation at as many meals as
possible
Give thanks Privately or as a group, give thanks for the fact that you're here and able to enjoy the company and the food. It need not be a prayer if you're uncomfortable with that. Come up with your own ritual. It could be a toast, everyone saying hello or a quick moment of silence, or even holding or shaking hands. Whatever you're comfortable with is the best choice of all.
Really taste the food and enjoys the moment Put your utensils down between bites. Use the time to chew and swallow. Note the flavours, colours and textures of the meal as well as the look of the table and the ambience around it. Look out of the window and enjoy the view. Think about ways the food fits into the scenery: are you having porridge because it's a cold, snowy day, just as you did as a child? Are you having a light, no-cook supper that features juicy fruits on a sweltering summer evening. just as you did on a tropical holiday a few years ago?
Make conversation Take turns sharing a positive or funny experience you had during the day, then discuss a challenge you faced and overcame - or are still confronting. Talk about the food and about enjoyable subjects from local or world news. Save complaints and controversies for another time. The table should be a happy place.
Turn off the TV and put away mobile phones, pagers and laptops Make mealtime inviolable. Friends and colleagues can reach you later.
Invite a friend or meet somewhere for a meal Make a meal even more social by sharing it with someone who's not in your household. Don't feel like cooking? Meet at a cafe or local cafeteria or bring packed lunches to a table at a park. The important part is being together.
Savour every nuance of your meal Think of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, in which every sense has a role to play: you listen and observe as the tea is poured, feel the hot cup in your hand, smell and taste the tea. To focus your mind and slow things further, bring a meal to the table course by course and leave time between courses for relaxation and conversation.
Eat seasonally Enjoying local seasonal produce can make a meal more meaningful by linking your plate to the place where you live. Visit a farmer's market for seasonal vegetables or meats. As you prepare and eat them, think about how they grew in the same sun and rain you've experienced over the past few months.
Treat family like company Fresh flowers, a nice table setting, garnishes on the plates - you and your family deserve such niceties every day. Resolve never to eat at a messy table.
Practise hara hachi bu This Okinawan eating practice translates as '80 percent' and means that traditional Okinawans stop eating when they're 80 percent full. This is a great way to avoid overeating because it gives your brain time to notice what's in your tummy and send an 'I' m full' signal. Instead of reaching for seconds, put your fork down and clear the table as soon as you feel the first sight twinges of fullness. (Return to the table for more conversation or take cups of tea into the living room with your dining companions to extend the pleasure of your meal.) 'When you start to feel full, your stomach really has become full,' Dr Willcox says, 'but physiologically, there's about a 20 minute delay before the stomach tells the brain.'
Downsize your dinnerware In recent years, many tableware manufacturers have increased the size of the plates and bowls they sell to keep pace with the larger portions to which we've grown accustomed. If you tend to overeat, serve meals on salad plates instead of dinner plates.
Never skip breakfast The first meal of the day revs up your metabolism and fills your belly with the fuel you need for energy. A good breakfast prevents excessive eating later in the day. If you're not a natural breakfast lover, wait till an hour after you wake up before eating. Or try an unconventional meal, such as a sandwich or bowl of soup.
Practise the 3 hour rule Don't let more than 3 hours pass between your meals and snacks. Eating regularly keeps you from becoming ravenous or experiencing the effects of low blood sugar; feeling lightheaded and low on energy. Moderate-sized meals and snacks can also help you to avoid overeating because it's comforting to know that there's another chance to eat coming soon.
Make lunch the big meal of the day In traditional European societies, the midday meal is the star. Not only do people take time to linger together over the food, but they also eat more of it than they do at dinner - giving their bodies more time for digestion and more fuel for the rest of the day. Eating a bigger lunch can also help you to avoid the late-afternoon slump that can lead to overeating and to poor food choices such as sweets and snack foods.
Set a new second helpings rule Allow yourself second helpings only of fruit and vegetables, not of grains, fat or meats.
Eat 90 percent of your meals at home You're more likely to eat high-fat, high-calorie, highly processed foods away from home than in your own kitchen or dining room. And you'll avoid the temptation of large restaurant portions too.
Eat slowly and calmly Set aside at least half an hour to eat each meal of the day. Make the food last for that whole length of time by eating slowly and stopping frequently to enjoy the conversation of your companions, the view out of the window or the music on the radio. This slow-eating strategy gives your brain the opportunity to notice how much you've already eaten and send a signal that you're done.
Practise the grounded-fork rule To help to slow your eating, force yourself to put down your fork after every bite and do not pick it up until you've swallowed what you've just put in your mouth.
Choice 7 Enjoy Eating
Welcome to the last choice of full-life eating: enjoyment. Seems a little redundant, doesn't it? We've mentioned taste and flavour countless time throughout this chapter, and we've repeatedly made the point that healthy eating is a celebration, full of pleasure and ritual. So why this particular topic again?
Simple. Many people don't eat for enjoyment or nourishment. They eat because they're nervous or bored or frustrated or because at 3.30 pm, it's just second nature to take a break and have a chocolate bar. Or they eat because they feel they have to - Mum would be insulted, after all, if you didn't have seconds.
Other reasons why we eat are more positive, even if misguided. We show affection with food ('I love you so much, here are two boxes of chocolate!'). We celebrate with food. We assuage our guilt with food ('I' m really sorry, I brought you a cake as a peace offering.') We reveal our heritage and tradition with food. In this modern world, eating is habit, ritual, therapy and relaxation. All this is well intentioned, but at what cost to our health?
Sometimes the problem is merely hectic living. Do you eat so fast you can't remember what you;ve just consumed, mindlessly nibble while wathcing TV or find yourself gobbling fast-food meals in the car while you drive? While all of us eat on the run occasionally, if you make a habit of eating quickly and without pleasure, you will miss out on the profound life and health-enhancing joys of the table.
In cultures where people live long, healthy lives, meals are events. In Japan, for example, 'Okinawans look for meaning in food and in meals,' notes Dr Willcox. Instead of opening a packet of biscuits when guests arrive, Okinawans respectfully serve tea. Gathering around the table is a social time as much as a time for food. There's more conversation, more time between bites of rice or fish or vegetables. When this type of meal is over, you leave the table with a full belly and a full heart.
Eating slowly - and savouring the colours, textures, temperatures and flavours of foods - enhances digestion, discourages overeating and promotes relaxation. Sharing a meal or snack with friends is a stress-reducing opportunity to reconnect. Now take the pleasure a step or two further. Shop unhurriedly for fresh ingredients and enjoy the sensual experience of washing, chopping and cooking them to create a wonderful meal for yourself and others.
Each of us has deeply embedded habits and prejudices regarding food. Our message: reconsider the role of food in your daily life. Are you eating merely out of habit? Is food providing solace for insecurities or frustrations? How many times a day do you gobble down food mindlessly, without the flavour even registering?
Be a mindful eater. Don't focus just on the right foods but also on the right reasons to eat - for nourishment, health, social ritual and, of course, enjoyment. A bag of crisps may sound like the right medicine for a tough day, but we suggest hugs or a walk instead - followed by a healthy sit-down meal with someone you love.
Smart Ways
To Celebrate food
FULL-LIFE EATING GOAL: enjoy laughter, conversation and relaxation at as many meals as
possible
Give thanks Privately or as a group, give thanks for the fact that you're here and able to enjoy the company and the food. It need not be a prayer if you're uncomfortable with that. Come up with your own ritual. It could be a toast, everyone saying hello or a quick moment of silence, or even holding or shaking hands. Whatever you're comfortable with is the best choice of all.
Really taste the food and enjoys the moment Put your utensils down between bites. Use the time to chew and swallow. Note the flavours, colours and textures of the meal as well as the look of the table and the ambience around it. Look out of the window and enjoy the view. Think about ways the food fits into the scenery: are you having porridge because it's a cold, snowy day, just as you did as a child? Are you having a light, no-cook supper that features juicy fruits on a sweltering summer evening. just as you did on a tropical holiday a few years ago?
Make conversation Take turns sharing a positive or funny experience you had during the day, then discuss a challenge you faced and overcame - or are still confronting. Talk about the food and about enjoyable subjects from local or world news. Save complaints and controversies for another time. The table should be a happy place.
Turn off the TV and put away mobile phones, pagers and laptops Make mealtime inviolable. Friends and colleagues can reach you later.
Invite a friend or meet somewhere for a meal Make a meal even more social by sharing it with someone who's not in your household. Don't feel like cooking? Meet at a cafe or local cafeteria or bring packed lunches to a table at a park. The important part is being together.
Savour every nuance of your meal Think of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, in which every sense has a role to play: you listen and observe as the tea is poured, feel the hot cup in your hand, smell and taste the tea. To focus your mind and slow things further, bring a meal to the table course by course and leave time between courses for relaxation and conversation.
Eat seasonally Enjoying local seasonal produce can make a meal more meaningful by linking your plate to the place where you live. Visit a farmer's market for seasonal vegetables or meats. As you prepare and eat them, think about how they grew in the same sun and rain you've experienced over the past few months.
Treat family like company Fresh flowers, a nice table setting, garnishes on the plates - you and your family deserve such niceties every day. Resolve never to eat at a messy table.
No comments:
Post a Comment