Mindful eating to support healthy digestion
I was thinking about healthy eating, and it occurred to me that so much of the discussion is about WHAT we eat, but there is much less talk about HOW we eat. Of course, the food we put into our body is fundamental to our health, but the external environment and our inner condition while we eat also play an important role for our (digestive) health.
Consider all the unhealthy habits we have around meals, and that it is very common for us to “multi-task” while eating:
we ‘eat on the run’
while working or having meetings
while watching TV or reading
while arguing with our children or fighting with our spouse
while nervous, anxious or angry
we eat in a rush
we eat in our cars
we eat late at night
At best we are distracted while we eat, and at worst, we are under stress during mealtimes.
When we are under stress our sympathetic nervous system is more active, and energy is diverted away from our digestive organs.This is not ideal when we’ve just taken in food that needs to be broken down. As a result, our digestive function becomes sluggish, food moves through the system slower, we feel uncomfortable and we don’t absorb nutrients as efficiently.
For healthy digestion to occur, we want ideally to be in a state of ‘parasympathetic’ dominance.That is the part of our autonomic nervous system responsible for resting, repair and digestion. In this state our body is sending resources to our digestive organs and we can more effectively break down and absorb nutrition.
Creating an environment that is conducive to this relaxed state is an important factor for digestive health,and Traditional Chinese diet theory offers many suggestions in this regard. Here are a few:
Focus solely on your food – don’t distract yourself with TV or reading or even a very stimulating discussion.
Focus on the aroma, flavor and texture of the food. In Chinese diet theory, each flavor elicits a specific response in your body so it’s important to notice what you are eating, and enjoy the experience.
Notice your breathing – making sure you are breathing deeply and evenly helps calm the nervous system.
Chew well – mechanically breaking down your food is an important first step in digestion. The better you chew, the more easily digestive enzymes can work on breaking down the food you put in your body.
Be in a relaxed, cheerful mood – connect with gratitude and joy.
Take a leisurely stroll after your meal – this will provide gentle stimulation and support good digestion.
Most of these suggestions are about creating a form of mindfulness practice while eating. This focused attention to our food is like the focus that is required during meditation, which has been shown to lower stress and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.Engaging in this "mindful eating" not only allows us to be present in the moment, and connect with the experience of eating, but will support the functioning of our digestive process and lead to improved health.
Here's to healthy, happy, relaxed meal times!
