I'm a 66 yr. old female who has battled ...

Eating according to your body needsArticle Author

Food today is one of the world’s major concerns. Today more and more people are turning health conscious and joining up all sorts of courses and classes. But the truth is most of these classes and courses are not necessary for a person if he or she knows what they are doing in their daily life in concern with their food habits. Food habits are the most important aspect in a person’s health. A person with proper and healthy food habits will avoid about 80% of the diseases in the world. It is not only necessary to eat nutritious food that is good for the body but it is also necessary to eat according to the needs of your body. To eat according to the needs of your body obviously means not over eating and eating or eating too less. It is to eat to a quantity that is enough to satisfy the needs of your body and keep you content at the same time. To eat to this quantity is often difficult as food is one of the things in this world that people like to indulge themselves in. Also it is one of the most neglected aspects to some people in this world.

To known what your body wants is very essential. It is obvious that your body can’t talk in a verbal language but this does not mean that it does not communicate at all. At all times, all yearnings and longings of the body are felt by you. When you are in pain you can feel the discomfort, when you are sleepy, your body will be cuing you in with nods, yawns and sleepiness. This way whatever the needs of your body are they are communicated to you through the signs of your body. Similarly when you are hungry, your body communicates the same. But here hunger is a tricky subject. You should be able to differentiate between the hunger of the body and the hunger of the mind. It is not as simple as noticing your stomach growling. If your stomach is growling after seeing a strawberry short cake just after you have finished a heavy lunch, then it is probably not your stomach that is growling. Your body will be full but your mind will develop the craving towards the cake. Giving in to these cravings is how people tend to over eat and spoil any and all eating habits that they have.

Hunger is a discomfort and it is felt in the stomach. This signal is well known to the infants. When they are hungry they cry to signal it out. For them it is a signal that is directly from the body. Their mind in no part plays towards these cravings. This is the same in care of the animals that live in the wild. They are well in tune with the signals of their body. It is said that most activities of these animals in the wild are dominated by the signals that is given out by their bodies. The case with infants is also the same. When they feel that everything is good and fine they do not do anything but just sleep. But when they feel that certain discomfort in their little stomachs, they cry and let their mama known immediately what is wrong. This is an instinctive mechanism in the infants that let them in the best words fend for themselves. Infant are highly attuned to their body. They act directly according to their body needs without any interference from their minds.

Since the infants are highly in tune with their bodies they know instinctively when they should eat and when they should not. Apart from this they also instinctively seem to know when to stop eating. They don’t care how much milk is left in the bottle, they stop drinking it when they feel like they are done. This is something that we should try to attune ourselves to. Eating till we are done does not mean eating till we are full. If we are full then that would meant that we have eaten too much. Mostly people who are overweight have the habit of eating till they are full. This results in an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach. People mostly eat till they are full not because of the urges of the body but mostly due to peer pressure. One should eat till their hunger is satisfied and the stomach is comfortable. That is the proper definition of eating healthy. But finding the mark where the hunger is satisfied is another big problem. Most people decide to satisfy their hunger in accordance of their mind. This should actually be in accordance with their body or more significantly in accordance with their stomach.

To learn how to get closer to the instincts of the body in relation to hunger is one of the best ways to control your food habits. To eat according to your body’s needs is to eat healthily and also the best way to keep your health in control. Hunger is not bad but hunger of the mind is. Hunger should come from the body and so should satisfaction. The easiest way you can get in tune with your body is stop eating your regular meals. Eat only when your body feels the need to eat. You will be surprised at how you will be eating the same three meals a day but your body will be more satisfied than ever when you eat in accordance with the urges that come from your body. Identify the reactions of the body to hunger. See what changes happen, the feelings or the sounds. This will help you differentiate between real hunger of the body and temptation of the mind. Learning your own body signals is a remarkably powerful tool that will assist you in getting rid of the unnecessary urges that you have towards food. This will help you live happy healthy life content and satisfied with the food that you eat every day.

Imran

http://www.myjewelersplace.com