Time and Space to digest is rare in our world, but oh so important. Everyday we rush through meals, and eat too much too quickly. Lunch is when digestion is at it’s strongest during pitta time of day, yet in American society lunch is often given the short shrift.
Do You Have Time To Digest Your Midday Meal?
Most Americans rush through lunch. Ayurveda considers lunch the time to eat your main meal of each day. But many people work with a 30 minute lunch break. That gives them ½ hour to prepare or buy food, check on social media, eat food clean up and get back to work. If they have an hour to eat they spend much of it driving to a restaurant or doing errands and hitting the drive through. Working lunches are common place with digestion taking a back seat to productivity.
Okay, everyone has to rush lunch or work through once in a while. We all lead brimming busy lives. This should not be your norm. A fast drive through lunch often doesn’t give your body the time to digest and get the raw materials it needs. You feel tired, full, sluggish and or gassy.
Time To Digest For Children Is Scrunched By School Scheduling
Rushing lunch starts early with our children. School kids allotted 30 minutes for lunch often have only 10 or 15 minutes to eat after getting out of class, waiting in line, cleaning up and getting back to class. Kids eat slow and throw much of their food away or learn to eat too fast.
These are not great choice. 10 minutes doesn’t give the body a chance to say “I am satisfied.” So kids don’t learn to tune into satiety signals. Gulping food fast eating without tuning into your body can contribute to weight gain a growing problem for children in the United States.
Throwing much of lunch away makes for a long afternoon. Without enough food kids end up getting off the bus truly hungry. 10 minutes is just not enough time to digest your main meal of the day.
Ayurveda’s Look At Digestion
Ayurveda sees digestion as the process of converting the world, nonself into self. Food becomes tissues, and how we digest the food builds our body anew on a regular basis. Western medicine shows us the life cycle of individual types of cells confirming Ayurveda’s teaching. The health and strength of our digestion directly effects the quality and quantity of tissue we build.
Eat Leisurely When Possible To Support Digestion
- Make time 30 to 60 minutes for meals when possible.
- Get up 15 minutes earlier to eat breakfast together.
- Pack your kids a healthy lunch so they can skip the lines and concentrate on eating.
- At least a couple times a week schedule a full hour for dinner with healthy food and community. Cook ahead low and slow so you can enjoy time with your family.
- Eat for satisfaction rather than fullness. Listen to your body. Many people use a 10 point scale. If 10 is stuffed go for 6, 7 or 8, so you can digest and never feel overwhelmed by your meal.
- Eat Simple Whole Foods. Emphasize local and seasonal foods and herbs.
- When possible make your main meal lunch.
- Cut back on snacking and get to know the language of hunger and satiety, so you can honor the messages your body sends.
Strong balanced digestion is a basic for health. Prioritize time to eat, enjoy and digest to build your best self.
Ayurselfcare’s purpose is to educate on the benefits of Ayurveda. This blog is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment or advice. All the material here is for learning purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.
