Holistic Therapies
Mindful Eating
One of the most fundamental building blocks of nutritional metabolism is neither vitamin, mineral, nor molecule. It’s our relationship with food. It’s the sum total of our innermost thoughts and feelings about what we eat. The great Sufi mystic Rumi once remarked: “The satiated man and the hungry man do not see the same thing when they look upon a loaf of bread.”
Indeed, if a group of us were looking at the same plate of food, no two people would see the same thing, or metabolize it the same way. You could eat the healthiest meal on the planet, but if you’re thinking toxic thoughts like guilt, shame etc. the digestion of your food goes down and your fat storage metabolism may go up. Likewise, you could be eating a nutritionally challenged meal, but if your head and heart are in the right place, the nutritive power of your food increases.
Food psychology is central to Healing Harmony’s Mindful Eating Programs. Spearheaded by Dr. Prajakta Vaidya, at Healing Harmony we understand the nuances of food & nutrition and the influences of hormones (endocrines) and emotions on weight gain/loss.
How is the Mindful Eating Program at Healing Harmony Unique?
Mindful Eating
Why Vegan?
For Drs Preety & Prajakta, it all started when they were reading the acclaimed book Sapiens by Yuvan Noah Harari. It came to them as an intuition, an elusive gift. It was a spark of intelligence, a flash of insight, an impulse to go for the unexpected, a feeling to follow a hunch. And within no time they decided to become vegan!
But, why Vegan?
One major reason for this was the cruelty involved in the dairy industry. The thought of impregnating a cow for all her life, year after year, to seek her milk or denying the calf of her mother’s milk were some of the big reasons for them. But they are not appealing to just your heart but also to your reason-gifted scientific mind.
Think about this – Human beings are the only mammals who drink milk apart from their mother’s milk. They drink milk from other mammals. No animal does that. Research proves that an infant needs their mothers’ milk only in the first 6 months of his or her life. Once, the mother-child bond is created, the desire is satisfied then you don’t need it at all.
Not even as a source of calcium.
The milk industry advertises milk as a good source of calcium. However, before we fall prey to the fear of not getting enough calcium, we need to answer some basic questions for ourselves.
Mindful Eating
Why Gluten-free?
A vast majority of people suffer from gases, acidity, indigestion, headaches, fatigue, diarrhea, and constipation, and these symptoms are indicators of a myriad of things and gluten intolerance is only one of them.
Before falling prey to fashion-fad of going “Gluten Free” listen to your own body:
- Are you overeating?
- Are you eating because you are hungry or because you are feeling low or angry?
- Do you know when to stop eating?
- What are the types of food you are choosing, is it balanced?
- Are you simply stuffing yourself with processed food?
So, once you introspect on these, you realize that you will bring more mindfulness to your eating.
TRY OUR HEALTHY MEAL PLAN
- Morning as soon as you wake up – 1 glass of hot water with lemon.
- Followed by exercise (Yoga-Stretching / Swimming/ Running / Walking / Cycling/ dancing/ Pilates)
- Breakfast: 1 Cheela- besan and soybean flour / adai or 1 Dosa- green moong dal / Oats/buckwheat (kuttu) or 1 bowl of Oats Upma or 1 bowl of Oats/oats pongal or 6 to 8 pieces of Handwa or 6 to 8 pieces of Dhokla- Green moong dal/ besan
- Once a week breakfast of your choice like upma/poha/dosa/uttapam/2 idli/2 khakra
- Along with Green tea/ Vegan tea (without Sugar)
- 11 am: 2 whole fruits (apple, banana, chikoo, etc.) or a slice of papaya/one thick slice of watermelon / 3-4 slices of pineapple/ or 1 glass of a green smoothie
- SMOOTHIE RECIPE– : Spinach 10 gms, 2 mint leaves, 2 coriander leaves, 2 tulsi leaves, 4 curry leaves, 1 betel leaf, a pinch of black pepper and turmeric, rock salt for flavor, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 tsp lime juice, 100 gms of any seasonal fruit, water/ ice cubes as required.
- LUNCH: 1.00 PM – 2:30 PM
- 1-2 rajgira rotis/ rajgira- methi thepla/ 1 bowl quinoa (rice substitute)
- Twice a week substitute the rajgira with bajra/ jowar/ nachni roti 1 bowl salad
- 1 bowl vegetable 3/4th bowl dal
- ½ bowl yogurt
- Evening: 5pm:
- A bowl of sprouts or
- ½ bowl roasted/ boiled chana or Roasted makhanas or
- Sweet potato chaat can have once a week or Vegetable bhel with Makhana or Jowar Puffs 1 bowl of fruit with flax seeds can be added
- Dinner: 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
- Freshly made soup/ buttermilk
- 1 bowl salad / sauteed or steamed vegetables
- For proteins-Grilled or sauteed mushrooms or Tofu or boiled chana or
- Ragda patties -vatana and Cutlet made with vegetables and sweet potato / raw banana or
- Buckwheat crepes with rajma and vegetables and salsa sauce, guacamole (burrito substitute)
- Or Bhaji of pav bhaji without butter. With millet roti. Or chickpea salad with vegetables.
- Or jowar base pizza with cashew cheese
TIPS WHEN EATING OUT:
When at a restaurant, keep these simple tips in mind:
- Try and eat a portion similar to what you would eat at home.
- Salad dressing– ask for it to be given on the side and to be added as per required. Choose mustard over mayonnaise. Choose Plain lime and vinegar dressing, low-fat yoghurt
- Ask for smaller or half portions
- Skip the appetizers, bread, and butter
- Order extra veggies (e.g., sautéed spinach, grilled mushrooms) on the side
- Go for clear soups instead of creamy ones. Avoid fried croutons in the soup
- Ask for less sauce to be put in your meals
- You may ask the chef to hold the cream, which is often put as a garnish over the dishes
- You may ask the chef not to add any cream, tadka of ghee, or butter before serving
- Opt for any of the following healthier options- roasted, steamed, grilled, broiled, poached, baked, lightly stir-fried, red sauce (instead of white).
- Preferably eat a plain roti/phulka/plain tandoori roti (without butter) and avoid bhatura, naan, kulcha and paratha.
DO’s:
- In case the dinner is late (post 9:30 pm), eat a heavier evening snack (you can eat any of the breakfast options) and do only a raw salad/sauteed vegetable/ soup in the night for dinner.
- Oil intake: 1 tsp/ meal. Use cold pressed oil/ groundnut oil or rice bran oil. Change the oil at least once in 3 months.
- Reduce salt in salads to 1/4th of your normal intake.
- Hydration is the most important part of diet 3 Litres of any fluids through the day.
DONT’S:
- Juices, cheese, rice, wheat, dry fruits (cashews, raisins), butter, chocolates, ice creams, sweets, bread, and packed food.
BUT BUT BUT, If you are craving for anything, you must take it with limited portion, once a week.
