Diet: What Matters Most
Hello, and a warm welcome,
Three long weekends this month means we have some wonderful opportunities to step back from our normal daily habits and consider whether they’re really the best they can be.
In my last offering I wrote about sleep, identifying which habits you might like to experiment with and which ones are best to maintain even during holiday times.
Today I’m focusing on your diet, when you eat and which foods form the basis of your normal daily intake.
Our eating patterns, both what we eat and when we eat, are strongly habitual. Because normally your days are probably highly scheduled, you no doubt eat at similar times, and often choose the same foods day after day.
But this month you won’t have so many schedule-driven days, and if you’re taking part in a number of social gatherings, then the times you eat and at least some of the foods on offer will be new for you. This offers you a great opportunity to consider whether eating different foods than you normally eat, at different times of day than you’re used to, and perhaps eating more or less often, might improve your digestion and increase your energy levels.
Each of us is unique, so no one else can create the best eating pattern for you. You have to find that out for yourself, and the best way to do so is to eat mindfully—that is, to focus with an open mind—what the mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn refers to as a ‘gentle curiosity’—on what you’re eating and when you’re eating and how it’s making you feel. Take note of what works really well for you, and see if you can incorporate any changes into your ‘normal’ days once this run of Bank Holidays is over.
To sum it up: enjoy your party food!
Best wishes,
Linda