Hello and Yippee!
I used to start the New Year off with great zeal to get ‘super-healthy’ from the 1st Jan. My friends will tell you it almost became a joke – “Natasha’s January New Chapter Regime”. Except year after year the same thing happened – by the end of that first month I’d feel more off-kilter, more depressed than before and things would fizzle long before the daffodils were out. I’d feel self-defeated and sheepish because, well, I’d set myself up for failure in a way.
I want to take a moment here though - it’s nearly the end of January and THANK GOODNESS! It is not one of my favourite months and I feel like doing a little dance when I realise we’ve nearly made it through this tough month!!!
But it’s not like the warm sunshine is suddenly going to burst forth on the 1st February and we’re all going to feel like springing out of bed with bounteous amounts of that ‘New Year’ energy that we’ve all been waiting for! We will be rational... February can often be colder than January so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
You might know me well enough by now to know that I do not advocate any kind of ‘kick-start’ diet in these winter months, and I cannot honestly support any drastic changes to one’s diet which doesn’t nurture that individual by taking into consideration the climate and their lifestyle. I totally commend those who feel they have the ambition to make drastic changes at this time of the year, but in my experience as described, ambition only gets you so far – the body inherently knows what it needs in order for it to flourish in these colder, darker days and often doesn’t thank the individual’s gung-ho mindset to deprive it of vital food or push it physically when it needs to rest more. So let’s leave the drastic diet changes until the spring...
What can you do to support yourself NOW though?
This time is all about EATING MORE MINDFULLY. And these 3 things will stand you in better stead long-term than any ‘fad’ or monthly challenge, in my humble opinion. Don’t underestimate the power of these overlooked points:
1. CHEW MORE
An outstanding number of us wolf our food without even using those white things in our mouths called ‘teeth’ to start the physically digestion process off! Digestion needs as much help as possible in these winter months because we may not be able to be as active as in the summer months and we tend to eat richer food because we need more fuel to keep warm etc. Chewing more releases the enzymes at the right time to digest your food. Without this element, the body doesn’t realise how much has been eaten and you remain hungrier than you should be – and you reach for more food!
2. ENJOY THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE OF MEAL-TIME MORE
Try actually putting your knife and fork down more often whilst you chew and swallow that mouthful... I don’t mean to teach you to such eggs but I’ve noticed that this rather old-fashioned habit is almost alien to most of us now.
We talk whilst simultaneously shoveling food down our gullets. It is a by-product of society where everything is instantaneous and rushed. We rarely really take pleasure in the whole experience and take our time to appreciate the company we are and the food that we are eating. So try putting your cutlery down when you’re having your say about something!
Even if every dinner is in the same room with the same company in our lockdown homes, slowing the whole affair down is better for our gut health and therefore our health overall.
3. REALLY ABSORB THE MEAL IN FRONT OF YOU
The process of optimum digestion starts in our minds, in our senses. Then the appropriate enzymes can be triggered, the stomach muscles relax and have time to prepare for the complex job of digestion.
When we take a few deep, slow breaths, linger over the colours, textures and smell of our meal and then really chew each mouthful, appreciating the flavours released, our bodies can then, literally, digest it all.
How we eat our food – with what emotions – has a bigger effect on our digestion than most people realise. But it sometimes takes a bit of mindfulness.
Warmest and kindest vibes to you all,
Natasha
Ps. Since I really started doing these things, my ‘sensitive’ gut has behaved much more over the years!
PPS. If you are thinking of really sorting your health out a bit more and need some one-to-one guidance, check out what my clients say here: www.treatyourselfnutrition.co.uk I always offer a free non-obligation preliminary chat x
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