Healthy Eating Habits

Before Eating

1. Wash hands and mouth. This is to ensure cleanliness.

2. Take your seat with others together. Eating is communal activity and develops togetherness.
3. Place where you eat should be clean, peaceful and spacious.
4. It is good to be considerate of others by not dragging the chairs and making noise. Sit down
quietly.
5. It is good to avoid drinking water before taking food since it dilutes digestive juices. (minimum
30 min)
6. Be in a pleasant mood. Be relaxed. Avoid being in angry and upset mood. Be in grateful mood.
Body responds to our mood.

While Eating

7. Its courteous gesture to start eating only after the senior / respectable person has begun first.
8. Use only right hand for eating. Left hand is used for doing other things not so sacred.
9. Eat slowly, but not too slowly. Chew well. This helps in digestion.
10. It is good to avoid anything cold during meals since it dilutes the digestive fire. Anything warm
or on room temperature is good for digestion.
11. Focus on food as you eat- see the food, savor its smell texture and taste. As you eat, do not be
distracted by phone, laptop etc. Do not talk much during meal. Talk only when necessary. This is
practicing mindfulness during eating.
12. Eat warm freshly cooked meals. Prefer vegetables and fruits since they contain healthy
nutrients for body.
13. DO NOT WASTE FOOD. Take only as much food as you can eat. If you need more, you can go for
extra servings.
14. Avoid making sounds of slurping or burping, being considerate of people around you.
15. Once you have started eating, try not touch that hand to serving vessels except your own food.
This is again to ensure cleanliness.
16. Be polite with servers.

After Eating

17. All should rise together only after everyone has eaten. And quietly que for washing up.
18. Wash your hands properly and gargle with water many times to wash your mouth. This avoids
bacteria growth in mouth.
19. Say the grace prayer.
20. Thank server and cook before you leave.

Some general eating guidelines for good health

1. It is good to eat as per one’s capacity and not overeat.

2. It is good to have a gap of 3-4 hours between meals. So, avoid eating right after meals.
3. Eat only at fixed times of day for better digestion.
4. Eating right before sleep makes body work whole night for digestion and does not rest.
Consequently, one feels tired upon getting up in morning. So, avoid eating late right before
sleep.