Ok so you know which one is your salad fork, excellent, great start. There are some other healthy eating guidelines that you might find interesting, and I am not talking about which way to position your fork to your mouth (although very interesting, FYI the food should be on the back of the fork).
Healthy eating etiquette is about the appropriate use of food as fuel for the body, and
so the idea is to approach healthy eating with the same reverence as we would a fine dining experience. Oh perhaps through the use of healthy eating etiquette, every dining experience will be a fine one.
So try these out, time and time again, take note of how you feel adhering to these:
1. STOP BEFORE YOU ARE FULL.
Even I indulge in over eating sometimes, and must admit that I like to lie on the couch and moan that I am so full that I can't move, also doubles as an excuse to get me out of doing the dishes. But pigging out distends the stomach and makes the digestive system work double time. This takes away energy that you would otherwise have to do as you choose. It slows down everything. The idea is to eat only what you can fit in your cupped hands x 2 at any one sitting.
2. DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE STARVING
If you hold off eating until you are ravenous, then everything will taste amazing, 6 packets of chips, 3 chocolate bars and a coke later you will remember why you must eat regularly. A way to stave of this desperation, is to keep snacks in your bag or car. Try some organic sultanas, organic cashews, organic goji berries, organic cacao nibs, organic pumpkin seeds mixed up. Great snack, healthy, full of vitamins, minerals and energy to keep you going
3. ONLY EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY
Wait until you body alerts you that its hungry, that is why we have this mechanism. Mealtimes become more of a habit than hunger. So if you are not hungry...don't eat. Eat it later when your body needs it, you body will be very grateful
4. DON'T EAT ON THE RUN
I know that this easier said than done, and can often hear everyone telling me to sit down, relax, eat. Deadlines, so much to do all the time, but chances are the food that we are eating whilst we are running around will not get digested properly....meaning toxicity in the stomach.
5. CHEW ON IT
Saliva is an amazing acid, the first part of the digestion process actually begins in the mouth, the action of saliva helps to begin the breaking down of food. Chewing on your food, around 30 chews allows the saliva to do its job and increases the bodies ability to absorb the nutrients. This one is two fold, because the more you chew the more inclined you are to feel satisfied sooner...meaning that you eat less.
6. FOLLOW YOU INSTINCTS
Its amazing how many of us have become detached with our natural instincts and instead listen to the voice not in our head but the voice that streams out of the TV or Radio telling us that we need to have some Special K, or perhaps some Masterfoods creamy pasta. When you actually listen to your body and yourself, i am sure the voice will be calling for an organic apple, or perhaps some else that will nurture your body. Try listening to your needs.
7. CHOOSE COOKING STYLES THAT ARE THE HEALTHIEST
Well my personal favourite is uncooking styles to be truthful. Raw, fresh organic foods in their most natural state, prepared in the most delicious ways.
Failing that, perhaps try steaming, with very little water, or stir frying.
Avoid frying at all costs- and you avoid the complimentary trans fatty acids, and boiling, just leeches alot of the nutrients into the water, so a no-no too.
So place, the napkin neatly over your legs, use your cutlery from the outside-in, sit up straight, dont hunch over your plate, chew with your mouth closed, avoid uncouth behaviour, such as nose picking, and relax, dine slowly and get healthy.
