It’s not just about what you eat, but how you eat it that impacts your weight management routine.

When I was a corporate worker, meal time was a major inconvenience- taking time away from my work / life schedule to ‘do the needful’ - to fuel up. We would eat in the car, during meetings or on con calls, and before the last bite was swallowed, we were on our way to the next task or project. This reckless lifestyle contributed to inflammation and stagnation leading to chronic pain and disease.

When I began treating meals as a necessary step in personal healthcare, and respected it as the exact thing that builds the cells in my body, brain and blood, my health and quality of life began to change.

No diet on the planet will serve you if your digestion is stagnant, too sharp, or irregular. These simple steps provide a foundation for your digestion and improved health and wellbeing.

1) if you haven’t already done so, begin eating fresh, seasonal, whole foods, and fewer processed / packaged foods. This generally means shopping around the edges of the grocery or finding your local farmers market or neighborhood produce co-op. Real food builds better brain matter so you can make better decisions for your health and wellbeing. Avoid leftovers after 2 days, as they’ve lost their solar power, or life energy, also known in yogic science as ‘prana.

2) so ‘No’ to iced drinks. Ask for water-no-ice when you’re out, and drink sips of room temperature or warm water during your meal to avoid extinguishing your digestive flame. Consider drinking your milk as a snack or warmed before bedtime with nutmeg for better sleep.

3) avoid eating fruit with your meals - they should be taken as a snack between meals and never with dairy. Those blueberries and bananas in our oatmeal, cereal and smoothies aren’t as healthy as we thought. Life is science and digestion is like chemistry class. Certain food combinations create a hostile environment in your belly, causing gas, bloating, constipation, heaviness, and/or inflammation.

4) finally and most importantly - slow down. Treat meal time as a sacred opportunity to appreciate the bounty of nature - the gift of life in form of nourishment. How blessed are we that food is fairly clean and abundant. See, smell and taste your food in eat bite. Chew well. Take meals with people you enjoy or even alone so you can allow digestion to peacefully do its job. Sit, don’t stand or drive while you eat. Give your food sufficient time to reach your belly before rushing to the next project or task. After eating, rest and digestion 3-7 minutes - read a book, observe your surroundings, remember what you loved best about your meal, write in your journal - any or none of these can help you pass the time so you won’t end up passing the gas!

Conscious living begins with mindfulness of what we think, feel and do. Simple changes and an open mind can introduce great benefit and a basis for long life and happiness.

Read more about Ayurveda, the ancient science of life. Over 5,000 years old this holistic menthol of living provides personalized guidelines for the foods, spices and oils that best suit you, your digestion, body type. Contact me to learn more, or to develop a meal plan to support your goals. Kirsten@PraniLife.com