Food that makes one person well may make another ill.
When creating a balanced and healthy meal, the question at hand is who is the meal for, what state is that person in, and how are they eating it?
In Ayurveda and Chinese medicine every person is made up of a different constitution. What is considered good for one person may be considered bad for another. In Western diet it’s a one-size-fits all model as the food system benefits Big Ag. If we think about food from a larger scale, imagine what our ancestors ate and tune into our intuition we would find that meal time is in fact, not a one size fits all model at all.
There are many tests to determine your constitution and metabolic rate including an Ayurvedic reading. What we can learn from these tests is that, like nature, our bodies are constantly changing. Everything from our body temperature, time of day, thoughts, moods, age, etc.
Tuning in on a daily basis is the only way you and only you can determine what your body needs. So what can we do? Get back in touch with your body's intuition.
Pay attention to your senses; smell, taste, satiation.
Our bodies are so intelligent, if we are eating a wholesome and healthy whole foods diet our bodies will tell what nutrients we need. Foods will smell appealing or repulsive, they will taste better, we will crave or no longer desire them. When satiated, we will burp or release a small bubble of air.
When we stop eating processed foods, tune into our body's inner intelligence and eat what we want when we are truly hungry we will remain healthy and happy.
What are some tangible steps you can take right now?
Before eating anything, smell it. If it smells appealing it is probably the right thing to eat. A way to strengthen the receptors in our nose is to eliminate artificial fragrances that may block or negatively impact our natural smell receptors.
Stop eating processed foods. As delicious as they may taste, unfortunately many people have a dulled sense of taste due to the chemicals, artificial flavors and preservatives in processed foods. When we switch to a whole food diet our natural sense of taste will return.
Listen to your body's desires. Eat out of desire and enjoyment, without distraction and when you are in a good mood, ready to receive food. Chew slowly and with intention. Digestion begins in the mouth. If you are eating intentionally and slowly, when your body has had enough you will release an air bubble and feel satiated.
Finally, practice eating with your hands. This is an excellent way to reestablish a relationship with your food. Eating with your hands promotes mindful and present eating. It enhances your sensory experiences through smell, taste and touch and strengthens your digestion as natural bacteria on your hands can improve the digestive process by releasing digestive enzymes.
