Written by Menswear Style in Health & Fitness on the 6th March 2019

Do you sometimes feel lethargic and sluggish after a meal? You think you've not eaten much at all but it feels like there's a brick in your stomach. Why do you feel this way, and more importantly, what can you do to feel better? I know this feeling because I felt this way for many years before I changed my eating habits. What's more, in addition to heaviness and drowsiness, I also had hunger pangs. Wanting to lose unnecessary kilos, I would delay my first meal every day - sometimes it was just a light dinner. Unfortunately, later in the day, the body claimed its own and I usually made up for it with a vengeance. Fortunately, that's all behind me.

1. Give up processed food  

Processed food involves adding or removing components from the product. Additives and flavour enhancers are most often added to increase shelf life and improve taste. As a result, the changed product is not natural, it is not a product that humanity once ate for hundreds of years. Eating processed food can be troubling for our body. The problem begins in the stomach and duodenum, where purified fibre-free flour is quickly digested and absorbed. The released nutrients cause a rapid and unusually high rate of glucose in the blood. The pancreas releases insulin so that the cells can absorb glucose, after which, due to the hysteresis phenomenon, the sugar level falls below what it was before the meal (sudden hunger pangs anyone?). To make matters worse, if we do not physically work out as recommended by The Body Coach, the excess of glucose absorbed by the cells is converted into fat and tyjemy. This is just an example of the body's reaction to purified flour. The changes in industrial processing of food is taking place much faster than our bodies are able to adapt to them. The simplest and most effective method is the exclusion or at least a definite limitation of processed products.

2. Choose natural, "living food" 

What do you pay special attention to when choosing a nutritional product? If the answer is 'the number of calories contained in it', you are like the average person. Unfortunately, not many people wonder (you will not find it on the labels), how many nutrients are in the product, and this is extremely important. Nowadays (especially in Western societies) in a typical calorie diet (i.e. proteins, carbohydrates and fats) we consume enough. At the same time, a large number of calories do not go hand in hand with consuming enough nutrients of vitamins, enzymes, minerals and phyto ingredients. Nutrients are essential for the proper functioning of the immune system and the proper functioning of the human body. 

3. Eat regular meals  

A few years ago I tried to minimise the amount of meals eaten daily to shed some pounds - it was a mistake. Even if for a few days I had managed to skip breakfast or even dinner, I still made up for arrears over the following days. For a normal and healthy life, we need energy - fuel that drives our body. Importantly, this fuel must be maintained at all times so that the body can function effectively. There are probably people who eat only two meals a day and are able to function normally. I do not belong to that club and I feel best when I eat three main meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and two snacks between them. Everyone should develop their own meal plan and adapted to their needs and possibilities. The intervals between meals should be short enough that we do not get a wolf appetite and long enough not to start another meal when we do not feel hungry. It's important to finish the last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime so it can be digested in time.

4. Eat to live, not vice versa  

One of the many common features discovered among the inhabitants of blue zones (places where people live the longest) is moderation. Moderation in everything, including food. Eating a meal can be a very pleasant richness of colours, flavours, textures and consistency. Excitement can be caused by trying something exotic or something that brings back memories of places we would love to return to. Let's enjoy it, let's enjoy time spent with a meal eaten with family and friends. However, even if we eat the healthiest food, overeating is not healthy. We unnecessarily burden our digestive system by asking it to work hard. The meal should be ended when the stomach is 80% full. In practice, this means that we should stop eating when we feel the first symptoms of satiety, and definitely when we stop feeling hungry. The majority of nations living in the health of old age (longevity zones) attach a very important role to periodic fasts, in which they limit the amount of food consumed. During this period, the body undergoes a natural cleansing therapy, which has a beneficial effect on their health and wellbeing.

With quick tips such as Giving up processed food, Choosing natural living food, and Eating regular meals, this blog post explains How to Eat Healthier and Feel Better.