RULES FOR BETTER EATING

1. Eat Slowly. 

People often stuff food into their mouths at an unbelievable rate when they are under stress. A medical friend of mine, whom I worked with in a hospital, used to be spooning up the last smear of custard while the rest of us were still finishing our soup. He always had indigestion afterwards and had to sit for half an hour to allow the pain to disappear.

Try and put small forkfuls into your mouth. Stuff huge amounts of food onto your fork and you'll end up failing to chew your food properly. Chewing is an essential part of the digestive process and the saliva in your mouth contains enzymes which help prepare your food for the secretions produced by the stomach.

Try to taste each mouthful of food that you eat. That way you're far less likely to eat unnecessarily or too quickly.

If you are a fast eater put down your knife and fork between mouthfuls. That will slow you down effectively. 

2. Concentrate On What You Are Doing 

Don't try eating while you're reading or watching television. A little mild and gentle conversation probably won't do much harm but you should concentrate as much as you can when you're eating. Only by concentrating on what you are doing will you be able to tell when your stomach is talking to you. And if you listen it will talk to you, and tell you when you're eating something that is going to upset you, or eating too much. Incidentally, it's a good idea to keep a notebook in which you jot down the details of any foods or drinks which upset you. Anything which appears in your notebook more than once (i.e. upsets you) should disappear from your regular diet. 

3. Be In Charge Of Your Own Stomach 

Don't let other people push you into eating when you aren't hungry or when you don't want a second helping. And do be prepared to leave food on the side of your plate if you've had enough to eat. 

4. Rest After Eating 

When you've finished a meal have a short rest. Give your stomach time to do its job before you start chasing around again. But don't lie down. You should not eat a large meal before you to bed. Give your stomach an hour or two to digest food before you lie down. 

5. Listen To Your Appetite Control Centre

Your body has an impressive appetite control centre which can make sure that you never get overweight or underweight. It can even make sure that you eat the right mix of foods - so that your body obtains all the protein it needs and the right mix of vitamins and minerals. 

You can do a lot to look after your stomach and keep it healthy. 

To begin with it is a good idea to learn to listen!