How you eat is important
In Ayurveda, how you eat is as important as what you eat, and finding a quiet space to eat your meal is essential for proper digestion.
Take a deep breath in before starting the meal. You may say a prayer of gratitude, become peaceful, and then take the first morsel. On taking the first bite, inhale the aroma, notice it, taste the deliciousness while chewing, and enjoy each bite with total presence and in full consciousness.
The food will taste better, be absorbed more easily in the digestive tract, and the amount of food that you eat will be less. If you can transform the perspective from consumption to receiving the food as a blessing, your senses will be heightened and the meal will become pleasurable. It is advised that you must chew each bite/morsel at least thirty-two times, slowly, to be able to savor it completely. Each particle of the food has energy, is flavorful, and provides love and light to the body.
Ayurveda also states that if food is eaten in the wrong manner or in haste, then it can actually create ama in the body. The body digests food best when you are relaxed, so eating slowly and then sitting quietly for ten minutes after the completion of the meal aids the digestive process. If the above is hard to initiate right away due to a hectic schedule, start with baby steps—try to change the habit of eating your food while watching the television, for example, or try to avoid eating your food while walking to work.
This in turn will affect your health as you will be aware of the amount of food consumed during your meals and will also contribute to your feeling of satisfaction.
