Nutrition as Medicine

"Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food."
~ Hippocrates
 
There are thousands of diet and nutrition books on the market.  So why are there still so many people fighting with weight and digestive issues, sometimes resorting to drugs and surgeries to help with them?   We believe that a comprehensive yet simple to understand and follow approach is the key to restoring digestive health and getting to your optimal weight. This approach to healthy eating combined with the multi-disciplinary programs of Medicine and Bariatric Yoga provide a powerful way to lose unwanted pounds and increase your energy.  The Medicine Yoga basic principles of healthy eating and approach to nutrition are presented below.

 
Moderation
The concept of moderation in eating is not new.  It exists in all cultures and is foundational to yoga.
In the yoga tradition, the sandskrit term for moderate eating is mitahara.  It was advised to always leave a quarter of our stomach empty.  Remembering and practicing mitahara can help transform our relationship to food.  It may not always be possible to practice this perfectly, but using moderation as a guiding principal can be very beneficial.  Many of the recommendations below such as breathing, mindfulness, appreciation, and choosing fresh vs. processed foods will support the development of moderation. 
 
Breathing, mindfulness and appreciation
Stopping for a moment to take a couple of calm breaths and settle into a state of awareness and mindfulness is a powerful way to become more conscious of eating what your body needs and wants vs. automatic eating based on habit or emotion.   Adding gratitude for the food and how it got to your plate, either silently or aloud, adds an additional positive element of grace to the eating experience.  One positive thought that may be useful is to put the thought in your mind that the food you eat will be digested and assimilated perfectly by your body.  
 
To continue the mindfulness practice throughout the meal, Yoga tradition says to “drink your food and chew your liquids.”  To practice this, try chewing each bite you take at least 30 times.  You may find it a helpful tool for remembering to savor the tastes and textures of food.  And since chewing is the first step of the digestive process of breaking down the food into nutrients that your body can absorb, this will improve the assimilation of the nutrients that your body needs. 
 
Listen to your body
One of the best ways to figure out what is good for you is to be aware of how you feel after you eat it.  There is even an expression called a “food hangover” for the extreme case that you wake up in the morning after a big rich meal, consumption of something that your body cannot assimilate well, or eating while under a lot of stress, illustrating that point.  Some things to observe include: how the food affects your energy (are you tired or energetic after eating that food?), sleep (do you wake up feeling refreshed?), and elimination (did your body complete the process in a timely fashion?).
 
Eleven easy steps to improve your diet
We offer some suggestions on steps you can take to improve your diet and overall health.  Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, so be gentle with yourself.  Try one or several of them for two weeks and see how you feel.  If you do fall off the wagon, just note it and see if there was something that triggered you to do that.  Every step is a learning experience.  
 
1.  Cut out processed food.
This starts at the grocery store.  Stick to the outside section of the store.  This is where the fresh fruits, veggies, meats and fish are.   Make a list and stick to it by and large.  Buy things that give high return on taste and nutrition.  Some of our favorites are organic Meyer or other types of lemons, which are great for squeezing on salads, vegetables, and fish.  Spices such as turmeric are great for you, and add delicious taste and tantalizing color.  Eliminating processed food will eliminate unhealthy processed sugar and salt from your diet.   
 
2. Drink plenty of fresh, room temperature or warm water with lemon, herbal teas, or green and white teas in moderation.  Often what is interpreted as hunger is really thirst – your body wanting the nutrients that water carries into your cells.  A general rule of thumb is to drink an ounce of water every day for every two pounds of body weight. Other factors that can influence thirst include: environment (if you live in a dry climate), exercise, intake of alcohol and caffeine containing beverages, or health status such as pregnancy.  Don't drink all of the water you need per day all at once. Divide the amount you need and drink several glasses of water throughout the day. This is especially important if you engage in lots of heavy exercise.
 
3. Cut out soda.  Sodas are empty calories from high fructose corn syrup and processed sugar that are mostly just habit and easy availability.  Enough said.  But what about diet sodas?  There is  anecdotal information that leads some in the medical and nutrition fields to believe that diet soda might hinder weight loss or contribute to weight gain.   Studies suggesting diet sodas or anything containing sugar substitute can contribute to weight gain are based on animal research.  What scientists have found is that a rodent’s brain relies on the link between taste and calories to keep track of how much eating has occurred.  Sugar substitutes unbundle the taste of sweetness from calories.  The taste buds tell the brain that food is coming in, but the body doesn’t get the energy it is expecting.  This, apparently, undermines the ability of rats to judge how much they’ve consumed, and, over time, they begin to overeat. 
Another concern and suspicion is that because artificial sweeteners are 200 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar, the consumption of them can turn a sweet tooth into a sweet fang.  Research suggests that the taste of sweetness is addictive, and thus can lead to consumption of other sweets.  Another suspicion is that sweet tastes, through a Pavlovian conditioning method, might signal insulin to release even though there are no actual calories or sugar. 
And if all of this is not enough, according to numerous household cleaning Web sites, soda can clean your toilet, eliminate rust from a car bumper, and remove grease from clothing.  We’re not kidding! 
 
4.  Do not eat when you are not hungry.  This is related to mindfulness as noted above.  Ask yourself if you are hungry before you eat.  
 
5.  Try not to eat out as often.  This will save you money as well as improve your nutrition.  
 
6. Steam, bake, poach or sauté with minimal oil instead of frying.  
 
7. Eat essential fatty acids.
Essential fatty acids are critical to proper function of the body.  They are necessary to the following processes:
•    Formation of healthy cell membranes

•    Proper development and functioning of the brain and nervous system

•    Proper thyroid and adrenal activity

•    Hormone production

•    Regulation of blood pressure, liver function, immune and inflammatory responses

•    Regulation of blood clotting: Omega-6 fatty acids encourage blood clot formation, whereas Omega-3 oil reduces clotting.

•    Crucial for the transport and breakdown of cholesterol

•    Support of healthy skin and hair
Sources of Omega 3’s include flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, soybean and its products such as tofu and tempeh. Walnuts, avocados, dark green veggies, such as kale, collards, chard, parsley, and cereal grasses (wheat & barley grasses), are also good sources. This is because all green (chlorophyll-rich) foods contain Omega-3 fatty acids in their chloroplasts.
Sources of Omega-6 fatty acids include avocados, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, and dairy.
 
 
8.  Eat as much organic, local and seasonal food as you can.   Not only are these foods better for you for what they have and what they don’t have, they taste better.  What can rival the taste of a tomato picked fresh from the vine or a peach picked fresh from the treee? 
 
9. Add the complete protein grain quinoa to your diet.  It’s fast, easy to prepare, delicious, and easy to digest.  If you cannot find it in your local grocery or health food store, look for it online.  
 
10 . Try eliminating gluten from your diet for two weeks and see how you feel.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It causes some people serious health problems. The most severe form of gluten intolerance, celiac disease, once thought rare, is getting overdue attention. In 2003, just 40,000 Americans had been diagnosed with celiac disease; today, it's 110,000 — and, if everyone with the disease were diagnosed, it would be 3 million, according to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore.
 Researchers also believe that some people who don't have celiac disease — an immune disorder detected through a blood test and intestinal biopsy — do, nonetheless, have some gluten intolerance or sensitivity, causing symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal discomfort, compromised digestion and assimilation of food, bloating, and rashes.  In other words, given that some people feel better when they eliminate or cut down on gluten-containing foods such as breads, pastas, and many cereals, they feel better, maybe it's worth a try to see.  

 
11.  Try not to eat when you are angry or feeling emotional.  If we eat when we are feeling emotional it is very easy to eat too fast, and to eat much more than we need.  Find a technique that you can use to calm down.  It might be a breathing exercise, your favorite song, or some yoga.  Afterwards when you get ready to eat you will be feeling better and will enjoy the delicious tastes in your food.