Obesity
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236. Know how to combine foods – Generally avoid eating proteins and carbohydrates at the same meal. Vegetables, salads can be eaten with either proteins or carbohydrates. Fruits should mostly be eaten on their own, as far as possible, at least 30-60 minutes away from proteins, carbs and vegetables.
237. Watch your portions – With the advent of “supersize” meals and increasingly huge portions at restaurants, our concept of normal serving sizes is a distant memory. Be mindful of the amount of food you consume at a sitting in the restaurant and as well as at home. Pay attention to your hunger level and stop-eating when you feel comfortably full and not stuffed.
238. Curb overeating tendencies – Obviously to lose weight or stay slim, one should not overeat: a tendency that may be carried over from days of eating refined carbohydrates. Until the stomach adjusts to its proper size, some restraint in the diet is obviously required. Please remember overeating even the most nutritious of foods can interfere with weight management plans. A useful rule to eliminate the habit of overeating is to eat only while eating i.e. no other activities or distractions when eating. This will eliminate the tendency to munch instantly and requires that the person be hungry enough to discontinue all other activities to eat. A helpful tip is to start your meal with salad or soup and you will naturally eat less during the rest of the meal.
239. Eat in moderation – Eating till you burst is a wrong strategy for weight management. Always get up from the table feeling slightly hungry i.e. with a feeling that you can eat more. Eat as much as your body needs and no more. This voluntary caloric restriction will ensure that your body does not take in extra calories, gain unnecessary weight or produce an abundance of harmful free radicals. How much food you take at one time is very important – 1/3 of the stomach should be filled with food, 1/3 with water / liquid and 1/3 should remain empty for breathing air.
240. Look after your digestive system – Like so many lifestyle ailments, digestive malfunction responsible for constipation, bowel cancer etc, is a fall out of “quick fix” way of life. According to Ayurveda, mere nutrition without proper digestion is meaningless. Digestive system is a process from mouth to intestines where food is broken down into nutrients which are assimilated and absorbed in the body. One should chew food slowly, calmly and properly to release enzyme-rich digestive saliva to jump start the process of digestion. To aid the digestive system, consume fibre-rich fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, sprouts, nuts and seeds and avoid fatty junk refined and processed foods loaded with chemical additives. Optimum digestive system will help get proper nutrition and aid in weight management.
