Eating in a hurry seems to be an epidemic in our country. Just observe the number of fast food restaurants on nearly every street corner, along with the lines of people eager to quickly grab their food, often unwrapping their sandwiches as they drive off in their cars. We tend to gulp down our food so that we can get on with our lives. Eating becomes secondary to whatever needs to be done next.

According to Ayurveda, the conditions under which we consume food are as important as the food itself. If you are not at your ideal weight, ask yourself how often you sit down in a settled, quiet atmosphere and take your time to eat food that delights your senses. Overweight people tend to eat their meals without respect or attention, often relying on fast food.

If you are accustomed to eating quickly and automatically, give yourself permission to slow down and savor your food. A significant factor in weight control, eating with conscious awareness has been shown to elevate metabolism while increasing the life-giving force of the food. Simply looking at your food with focused attention, smelling the aroma of it, then tasting it with full awareness is beneficial. Of course the kind of food you eat is very important. However, your feelings and your level of conscious awareness as you’re eating are a significant factor in achieving your ideal weight.

In his column this month, Deepak Chopra, MD, explains the importance of eating with awareness and provides a guided technique to help you become aware of your actual hunger level—before you take that first bite. David Simon, MD, discusses the role emotions play in your eating habits and gives seven steps to help you regain or maintain your ideal weight.

As you read the many other suggestions for achieving ideal weight in this month’s newsletter, it is important to remember that the definition of ideal weight should come from you. It is self-defeating, for example, to compare yourself to others or to look to exceedingly thin fashion models or celebrities for your definition. As Deepak Chopra reminds us, your ideal weight is the point at which you believe you will look and feel your best, based on a realistic assessment of yourself and your goals.

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