11 AYURVEDIC EATING TIPS FOR GOOD HEALTH

How we eat is as important as what we eat.  Here are eating tips for good health. Methodical eating helps to extract the best out of food into body and mind.  Eating is not just filling the stomach with fuel for energy. good eating habits helps to improve mood, strengthens all the organs and nourishes the whole body.

Ayurveda has explained in detail regarding eating etiquettes. Try to incorporate these eating tips for a better health.
1. Eat only when hungry: Eating only when you feel hunger. This helps to timely secretion of gastric juice and digestive enzymes. So, do not eat repeatedly neglecting the hunger and do not avoid eating when hungry.

2. Eat at regular intervals. Maintaining a particular time to eat helps thebody clock to set the time for release of enzymes and digestion process.
Do not take wrong food combinations
Do not eat over undigested food. wait till the previous food is digested.

3. Eat only after proper digestion. This is related to first point. Ayurveda explains the following symptoms to know that the previously taken food is already digested.  Here are the signals:

a. Clear belching: If you get belching, if it is devoid of any smell, taste or flavor of the previously taken food.

b. Enthusiasm and active: You will feel enthusiastic rather than feeling lazy or dull.

c. Lightness: You will feel your stomach to be light. There will not be any heaviness.

d. Feeling hunger and thirst: You will have them

4.  Just before starting meals, have this: A pinch of rock salt and ginger is ideal to take just before taking food. It helps to proper secretion of enzymes and helps indigestion.

5. What is a balanced diet?According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes. – Sweet, sour, salt, pungent, bitter and astringent.  Ideally a balanced diet should have all the tastes, to make it a complete and balanced diet.

6. Which tasted food item should be had first? Sweet, sour, salt, pungent, bitter and astringent – this is the order as per Ayurvedic diet plan.

7. Speed of eating: Eating fast will end up in eating more quantity. Eating slow will end up in eating less. So, moderate pace of eating is advisable. Slow eating is advised for those desiring weight loss.

8. Quantity of food: If majority of food is heavy to digest, like oily foods, black gram, etc, the quantity of food should be taken only till half of your digestive strength. If it is light food stuff, then it can be had till content.

9. When to have water: Having water in between food is advisable, rather than before or after food.

10. Thirsty and hungry: Thirsty should not eat and hungry should not drink.

11. To end with: To end the meals, it is a good habit to end with a little bit of milk or a dairy product or a sweet fruit juice. It helps to calm Pitta.