Eat mindfully - breathe, rest & digest

This probably should be rephrased to read, 'take time for yourself per se', because dear ones, rest and digest is the number-one tool for calming the autonomic nervous system when our body's natural stress response kicks in.

We begin to digest food not just in our gut but at the very moment that we smell the delicious smells. Then enzymes called salivary amylase are released in our mouths to break down foods. This process is even more effecient when we chew our foods properly.

Unfortunately, many of us in today have acquired a negative response to stress that is out of synch with our bodies and unable to switch down. We rush and hurry the eating process, sometimes eating on the go or at our desks.

Often just the little niggly feeling of being out-of-the-loop on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, while eating can heighten our stress hormone cortisol, causing bloating and dysbiosis.

We can find ourselves in a constant state of excitement - and not the good type, with no hormonal leverage to switch us back to calm.

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To eat on the hop, dear ones, is only relevant when being chased by dinosaurs. In a world where the flight or fight response becomes disorientated, then taking time to actually sit, savor and enjoy food mindfully can be a crucial in re-balancing that crucial vital force.

So I suggest, in preparation for the blog on mindfulness, here are some top tips.

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10 TOP TIPS

1. Take your lunch break in an area away from your workstation and eat calmly

2. Add some digestive bitters like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to your salads

3. At work, sit with like-minded people who are in tune with you

4. Herbs like ginger, garlic, onions and tumeric are excellent digestive aids

5. Aim to up your vegetable intake at every meal to help with cell oxidation and aging

6. Jot down everything in your food diary

7. Today you may have fennel tea after meals, not fizz or coffee to help with bloating

8. Go for a stroll after eating to aid digestion

9. Sprinkle cinnamon on your one or two coffees a day to balance blood sugar

10. Increase your fasting window to 12-16 hours to give your blessed gut a rest

Namaste from Seema

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