LIFE is busy, I get it. We are all doing our best to juggle whatever life throws at us, and sometimes the balance tips a little in the wrong direction, and we end up feeling overwhelmed, anxious and burnt out.
This week I have spoken to a lot of people who are feeling the pressure, and have found themselves either skipping meals or eating at their desk in an effort to catch up with work.
There is a little more to good nutrition than what we eat. How we eat is just as important.
If we eat on the go, at our desk, or in a rush, our body does not digest or absorb the food we are eating, so even if we are eating a healthy, nourishing plate of food, we are not reaping the nutritional benefits from it.
When we are in a hurry, our nervous system is in the fight-flight-or-freeze mode, otherwise known as 'sympathetic dominant'.
When we eat in a more relaxed way, we engage the 'parasympathetic' mode, which is also known as rest-and-digest.
These parallel nervous system reactions cannot work together at the same time. It is one or the other. We are cannot be stressed and relaxed at the same time.
When we are on the go, and in sympathetic mode, our digestion is not engaged. We don't need it for flight-or-flight. It is not an essential system to get us out of danger.
In fact, it is often preferable that digestion is not engaged when we are in a perceived hazardous situation - can you imagine the consequences...
In other words, when we are busy and a bit stressed, or eating on the go, our brain does not get a chance to tell our belly that food is on its way down there, so our digestive system is not engaged and it ends up only doing half a job.
When we take time to eat in a more relaxed way, we are switching into rest-and-digest mode, and giving our bodies a chance to make the very best of the nutritious and delicious lunch we have taken the time make ourselves.
If we slow things down, we end up feeling more satisfied by nourishing food, more connected to the positive impact good food has on our well-being, and more tuned to what suits our own bodies.
We also remember that we have actually eaten something for lunch, so are less likely to get the mid-afternoon munchies.
So this lunchtime, give your body a break and take time to think about how you are eating, as well as what you are eating.
Here are some ideas:
1. If it is a working day, make time for lunch so that you give yourself a proper break in the middle of the day - this means you will be more likely to get back to your desk feeling better focused and energised in the afternoon.
2. Always sit at a table to eat meals - and never at your desk.
3. Take time to appreciate the food you are eating and acknowledge the power of the nutrition on your plate. This helps your brain send a message to your digestive system that there is something tasty on its way, so your digestive system is primed and ready to get to work.
4. Eat a little slower. If there are usually sparks flying off your cutlery because you eat so quickly, slow it down by setting your knife and fork down between mouthfuls. It will feel unnatural to start with, but it will help you to eat slower.
5. Use your lunchtime to disconnect with tech and give yourself a break.
6. It is summertime, so eat outside when you can - and leave your phone inside.
