Did you know…
That mindful eating actually help you decrease your stress levels?
YES! There are best eating habits out there for less stress.
STICK WITH A REGULAR EATING HABIT
We need to stick with what’s right for our bodies, which is what our bodies are looking for or have adapted biologically from our late ancestors.
And what exactly is that?
Some trivia… During the Savannah, our ancestors don’t eat at night and had to eat during the day because of survival reasons – so at night, they sleep.
Slowly, our bodies have evolved so that we eat even at night, but not to the extent that we eat MANY, and LATE at night.
THE 3:1 MODEL
3 main meals a day (breakfast, lunch, supper), and one snack!
Following the 3:1 model is healthy and helps our system.
As a Doctor, this is not really strict but advised to be followed. In fact, you can snack more than 1 time, as long as you keep your snacks healthy (fruits, oats), and not the known energy boosters that in reality hijack energy (chocolates, sugar)!
Feel free to have nuts too, they’re good for protein intake! So really, a little bit of everything as long as you chunk on some really good food and not junk.
In Sweden, we use…
The plate model – or basically means that we fill out plates by percentage: 25% protein, 37% carbs, and 37% vegetables.
But that doesn’t work for everybody.
Some people prefer to get a higher protein intake than carbohydrates and I totally get it, so yes, feel free to play with the percentage (as long as it’s not all carbs), and find whatever works for you! Just make sure to include variety. 😉
And oh, skip the processed foods with too many chemicals and add-ons – they trigger our immune system and can give us low-grade inflammation. Bet we wouldn’t want that, right?
REMEMBER THE 12-HOUR RULE
The 12-hour rule in eating means that you must eat your last meal of the day 12 hours before you plan to eat your first meal for the next day. Say dinner at 6 PM, then breakfast at 6 AM – so when you eat your dinner at 6 PM, that means nothing more else in the evening after that.
This 12-hour technique helps us to maintain a healthy digestion and bowel system.
AND YES, IT’S OKAY…
It’s okay to mess up with the schedule sometimes. That won’t hurt you. What’s important is as long as this is what you’d do MOST TIMES.
WHAT IF YOU WORK AT NIGHT?
I know this is close to impossible to apply to those who work at night because being awake at night means you have to eat at night too.
Just apply the same rules -> 12 hours before meals, eat a variety, and have proper rest too!
DOING ALL THESE…
Gives your brain regular energy to function properly and creates resistance to hiccups that cause stress levels to spike, plus, here are a lot more things you can do to reduce your stress aside from eating mindfully.
To mindful eating,
