Archives: healthy food

I always hear people preaching about how it’s SO important to eat in a peaceful place, without distraction ie: tv, radio, magazine, computer, book etc… I have to say that I do agree with this and I know in a perfect world, we’d all be sitting quietly eating our food in peace. I’ve done this before, and boy is it amazing – there’s really nothing like it.

BUT – in New York City this is next to impossible. Well… I shouldn’t say impossible because anything’s possible right? Sure it is.

With a daily schedule that doesn’t allow for a 1-hour lunch break that’s calm and peaceful, we resort to eating on the go; watching TV or playing on the computer while we eat because there isn’t enough time do this otherwise!

Here’s my challenge for you: can you find a way to do all the things you do while you eat but ALSO pay attention to what your eating? Can you pay attention to when you feel full? Maybe that means you don’t finish your entire meal and you save the rest for later. OR maybe it means that you pin point one specific flavor in your food to be aware of exactly what it is that you’re eating. Find something to be aware of while you eat while on the go and watching TV!

This task won’t be easy, but I definitely recommend that you try it.

Don’t put yourself down if you simply want to watch tv or play on the computer while eating – we can multi task quite well! Just be mindful of what exactly you’re doing while you’re doing it.

Cheers!

A friend once gave me a quote from Yogi Bhajan that said “eat to live, don’t live to eat.” If you stop and try to understand what this quote really means it makes complete sense. It says to eat when you feel your body needs nourishment instead of eating just for pleasure. If you follow this motto, watch what you put into your mouth and eat foods that nourish your soul you are bound to help yourself become healthy.

This quote reminds me of the American work ethic. In the U.S. most of us live to work instead of work to live, whereas in Europe and many other parts of the world the ethic is the opposite. When I studied abroad in Spain I saw this work ethic first hand and was amazed to see how relaxed and social the people were. Clearly I’m generalizing and not everyone in Spain is like that but this is what I saw in most parts of the country.

People ask me how they should start this healthy way of eating, and all I can really say is there’s no time like the present. Why wait for a good moment? Dive into a healthy style and start treating yourself well as soon as possible. After all, you deserve the best.

Remember that eating healthy should be fun. Eat food that excites you, smells good and most importantly tastes good! As I always say, enjoy food in its natural state and stop moderating the true taste with salt and loads of sauce that contains unhealthy ingredients a.k.a. cornstarch.

“eat to live, don’t live to eat.”