Summer has us contemplating lighter, crisper, cooler ingredients. Even so, upcoming beach excursions can prompt some of us to overly focus on what we eat, leading to crash diets followed by gluttony, and repeat.
Summer in fact is an excellent time to try a short-term cleansing diet, eating healing plant-based foods to give your body a break, reduce bloat, and encourage rejuvenation. Cleansing diets consist of mostly vegetables with moderate amounts of fruit, and moderate to minimal healthy fats and sustainable proteins. Ideally all food is organic and local. Pastured bone broths and fresh vegetable juices are wonderful. Most all grains, dairy, corn, soy, and sugar are eliminated. A cleansing diet aims to simplify digestion, remove inflammatory foods, promote a wide-variety of colorful plant-based foods, and increase green leafy vegetable consumption. Remember to slowly re-introduce the restricted foods and notice if you experience any discomfort, which could indicate food sensitivities.
And while we are expert at obsessing over ‘what’ we eat, science says we equally need to be concerned with ‘how’ we eat. Our frame of mind and stress levels directly impact our digestion, and good digestion is a cornerstone of good health. We actually digest and assimilate nutrients best when we are relaxed.
If you have heard of “mindful eating”, it appears there indeed is something to it! For optimal nourishment, our bodies want us to slow down and take time to savor the meal and the moment. A deliberate pause, deep breath and expression of gratitude before a meal can help us reset.
Have you ever looked down at an empty plate and realized your mind was elsewhere during the entire meal? With our ‘ADD culture’, it is tempting to zone-out or multi-task any time of day, including when we eat. By anticipating and then noticing smells, flavors, textures, and sufficiently chewing, we practice presence, connect with our food, and promote better health. Chewing is important for digestion. Salivary enzymes in our mouths break down food, which we want to maximally soften before swallowing. And yes, we even want to ‘chew’ our liquids (vegetable juices, smoothies, etc), as these same enzymes break down starches in beverages. Take time to thoroughly chew each bite, around 40 chews per bite is a good guideline. When we slow down, we are able to stop before we become full and much less likely to overeat.
Turn from technology at meal times – stash out of sight smartphones, tablets, laptops, and any other screens. This includes the seat-back screen on airplanes, and the TV in your hotel room or home… turn off the tube! And per the above, don’t rush dinner to get back to your screens!
Try to make some time to practice these methods, and notice any difference in how you feel. Let us know, we’d love to hear from you.
In short, our suggestions include:
- Incorporate aspects of a cleansing diet, especially in Summer.
- Refrain from eating when stressed or angry.
- Eat while sitting, in a relaxed and pleasant state.
- Remove technology and screens from your sight when eating.
- Before each meal, pause, take a deep breath and express gratitude, or think about one thing that brings gratitude.
- Eat with Attention. Notice in each bite the smells, flavors, textures.
- Chew each bite 40 times. Even ‘chew’ your liquids.
- Stop eating before you are full. Good guideline here is 80% full.
Don’t miss our related article, including top tips for healthy vacations and how to avoid the cleanse, re-tox, detox cycle.