There is a lot of talk in the health world—including the Ayurvedic health world—about WHAT to eat.
Eat this.
Don’t eat that.
Don’t eat that either!
Do eat this for your dosha.
Try these supplements.
Oh, and this superfood!
It’s overload, right? You are consuming SO much information about what to eat, and a lot of that is conflicting information. It’s completely indigestible!
Your health can be so much simpler than that. Ultimately, as Ayurveda explains, our health depends on us being able to fully digest what we put into ourselves.
So I want to break this down into bite-sized pieces.
To wake up each morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead…to have strong, flowing energy all day long…to have a rejuvenating sleep every night…there is one simple but hugely profound habit in our daily lives to start with.
And WHAT you eat doesn’t have to change at all.
We live in a fast-moving, multi-tasking society, and that spills over into our food culture in a big way. Snacking is the norm. Rushing is standard.
Most people aren’t sitting down to meals the same way we did just a couple of generations ago. In the mornings, we rush off to work or school, with breakfast a quick thought amidst the bustle rather than a central theme of the morning.
We’re occupied all day, often snacking through the busiest hours in lieu of a dedicated, peaceful pause of activity for lunch.
Then, come evening, we might (maybe) finally sit down to a proper meal—usually the largest meal of the day.
Evening is the worst time to have a large meal, though. At that time of day, our bodies—including our digestive systems—are gearing down, preparing for rest.
Instead, we can take advantage of our bodies’ natural metabolic programming—our natural biorhythms of digestion—by eating three meals a day without snacking, with the heartiest meal at lunch.
What is the longest-lasting, most stable source of energy in our bodies? Fat.
Sugar, on the other hand, is an easy-access, quick-burning fuel. Sugar gives quick energy highs and quick energy lows.
I’m not just talking about refined sugar, either. I’m talking about the easy-access carbohydrate sugar that even the healthiest food contains.
Every time we eat, our bodies first grab the easiest-access energy from that food, the sugar. When we input food several times a day, our bodies just keep skimming the surface of available energy from that food. The body never has the opportunity to reach down into the deeper fuel reserves, the fat supply.
However, when given enough time between food inputs, as nature intended, our bodies fully metabolize the food, burning all the way through the easy-access sugar-fuel, then reaching into the deeper reserves of fat.
Because that fat is a long-lasting, stable energy source, it doesn’t give quick highs and hard lows. It provides a stable, consistent supply of energy throughout the day.
That translates to a strong, consistent flow of energy from morning to evening, greater stamina and a more penetrating mind all day long.
(It also means burning through any excess fat, stabilizing blood sugar and steadying emotions.)
To start a new habit like this, of course, we have to overturn an old one. This always takes effort.
If your body is currently programmed into the habit of snacking, erratic mealtimes or large dinners, you will probably run up against a lot of resistance as you create this change in your life.
Here are some ways to support yourself in changing this habit:
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