Listen to your body – it sends you signals about what you eat, how you eat, and how much you eat.
If you pay attention, it lets you know when you should stop eating, which foods agree with you or which foods cause you to not feel good, These are all signals your body is giving you to try to protect you from foods you shouldn’t eat and to guide you to eat the right amount of things it needs.
1. Take your time eating, thoroughly taste and chew each bite – this gives your body a chance to begin the digestion process in the right way, and also gives it a chance to signal you when you have eaten enough. There is a feedback mechanism built into your body – specific hormones that turn hunger on and off (ghrelin and leptin) – learn to “feel” and listen to these hormones and other signals that your body gives you that you have eaten enough.
2. Pay attention to how you feel after you eat certain foods.
Headache in the afternoon some days? Upset stomach? Gassy? Stomach that “just doesn’t feel right” or is flip-flopping? You might find an interesting correlation between certain foods and when these symptoms occur. This is another reason why it’s a good idea to keep a log of the foods you eat as you start to make changes to move you toward a healthier lifestyle.
Your body is talking to you all the time – you may need to relearn to hear it, and then listen to what it’s saying. This is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining and protecting your health.
Questions or comments? I’d love to hear from you.