Eating at the right time

The inescapable truth is that we can only achieve and sustain optimum metabolism when we eat, exercise, and live under an optimum emotional state. Our frame of mind directly impacts metabolism to such a degree that what we think and feel profoundly influences how we digest a meal. Metabolic power is not only about what you eat, but who you are when you’re eating.

— Marc David: visionary health and nutrition consultant, author.

So don’t eat when you’re in the lowest valley on your emotional roller-coaster. While I don’t advocate starvation as a means to weight loss, if there’s a best time not to eat it’s when you’re feeling down. It won’t do any great harm to starve for a couple of days. In fact I think it’ll do you good (just don’t go for any longer to cause your metabolic set-point to drop.

In fact, going without food has a special name… fasting. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It gives your digestive system a rest and time to catch up the workload in the in tray (which is all the (excess?) food we stuff into ourselves).

Food doesn’t digest well when emotional upsets are affecting our gastric juices. It’s best to eat food when feeling relaxed rather than rushed and happy rather than depressed.

Yet look at how many eat for comfort – at the very time it’s best NOT to. Add to that the fact that most ‘comfort’ foods are generally low quality (high fat, high sugar, high salt, nutrient poor, highly refined) and what have you got… obesity on the rise.

So instead of finding comfort through emotional eating (which is very short-lived) find new ways to gain comfort during your lows. They’re there and you’ll find them if you try. In fact that very act of seeking them is activity which will help lift your spirits higher. Emotional eating is the lazy way out because it doesn’t take much effort to eat especially if you have a dishwasher.