A regular eating routine is probably my greatest challenge. In my early years, I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch and then ate dinner and snacked all night. After working in offices for many years, I became a grazer, eating all day long. My inconsistent work schedule now plays a big role in the challenge of regulating my eating habits, but it has gotten much more consistent. Like everything, its work in progress.
There is a lot of controversy on how and when we should eat. Today I will share with you the Ayurveda perspective on eating. This is a big topic, but I will keep it short.
For most of us we should be eating 2-3 meals a day without snacking in between to give our digestive system time to process the previous meal properly. Ideally our meals are at the same time each day so that our bodies learn to prepare for digestion. It also puts less stress on our bodies because it knows food is coming. When we have an erratic eating schedule, the body is under stress. Just by regulating our eating times, it allows us to handle stress better because it knows when food is coming.
Additionally, breakfast should be light as our digestive system is just waking up. Fruit, Oatmeal, broth, or sweet potatoes are all good options. Lunch should be between 12-1pm as our digestive systems are the strongest and process the heavier foods such as meat, dairy and pastas. Dinner should be taken by 6pm (latest 7pm) and should be light as well. Vegetarian and light soups are great for dinner.
There's so much more I will share about food and eating in the days and months ahead. But for now, see what small shift you can make to your eating schedule to make your digestive system happy.
As always, please feel free schedule an appointment if you need some assistance with finding a way to regulate your meals.
Be well and Namaste,
Jennifer
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