ONE of the most important factors that affects our health is the food we eat. We often tend to ignore this. A healthy body depends on: what we eat; how we eat; the time spent on eating; a regulated eating schedule; and some time spent on relaxation before and after eating

What we eat is important, for ultimately a balanced diet sustains the body in a healthy state.

What we eat depends to a great extent on our family’s food habits, which in turn are governed by the climate of the area as well as availability of different food items.

Vegetables and fruits that are available locally are comparatively cheap, and can be consumed in abundance.

People who live in wheat-producing areas generally eat little of rice, while those living in rice-producing areas eat more of it. It is true that with advancement of technology we can grow other foods in areas which are not naturally suited for them, but in case we indulge in excess production of foods normally not suitable to the soil, the results can be damaging.

If wheat-growing areas are excessively exposed to rice cultivation, they would soon face adverse climatic and environmental conditions. That is the price paid for going against nature.

Thus ultimately what we eat bears a close relationship to the food items available locally. There should be prudent use of other items to provide both change as well as balance.

While what we eat is important, equally important is that we should be in a pleasant mood while we eat our meals. When one eats in a relaxed mood, one derives the maximum benefit from the food eaten, whereas when one is sullen or irritated, one is likely to swallow the food in a hurry without chewing it properly. The result of such an action could be harmful.

Even the most balanced diet will not be beneficial if one is unhappy or in a bad mood. Your food will not be properly digested. So, avoid a sullen or angry mood while you are on the breakfast table. In case such mood persists, avoid having breakfast. Drink some liquids instead. Postpone your eating till the time your mood improves.

Eating in a great hurry is also harmful. When you are in an awful hurry, you don’t notice how fast you swallow your food and often this task is accomplished by gulping down a lot of water. That makes the situation worse as food that is not chewed properly will take a longer time to digest.

Remember your stomach does not have teeth, so it is difficult for it to perform the job that should have been done by the teeth.

Thus we must learn to exercise patience while eating and must chew our food well with our teeth.

It’s important to have regular timings for eating to ensure that the body gets its much needed rest. The digestive system can go awry if you do not have regulated timings for eating food.

If dinner is eaten very late, there is little time given to digest it. Often after dinner we rush straight to bed, and experience a disturbed night for the simple reason that we have not allowed the food eaten to settle down.

Another harmful effect of a late dinner is noticed in the morning when we get up feeling grouchy and miserable. Our stomach is in a poor shape, either it refuses to clear or turns loose.

Children who stay glued to the television till late evening also acquire the habit of eating late dinner. This not only disturbs their study schedule, but also affects their health.

The programmes watched by children should be monitored and their time spent on TV viewing should be restricted.

But unless parents discipline themselves first, children will not learn. Even now in most western countries children after eating their early supper along with the family retire to their study after a little relaxation. They go to sleep early and this helps them to lead a regulated life as well as devote sufficient time to their studies.

We must avoid watching TV programmes beyond certain hours and eat our dinner well in time to allow children to retire early.

It is observed that a little relaxation before your principal meal as well as after it will do a lot of good both to your appetite as well as general health. Often busy professionals fail to enjoy their meal because their mind is too preoccupied with the ongoing office/business problems. They often lose their appetite and even though they eat the best possible food, they do not derive much benefit from it. Often they eat in hurry, without concentration and rush to the office.

If only one would devote just 10 minutes before meals to complete relaxation, forget ones worries, inhale fresh air and relax one’s limbs, one would be able to enjoy one’s food.

We should relax both before and after meals for getting the best out of food as well as for maintaining our health and personal well-being.

It has been observed that people who are in teaching profession are able to deliver lectures far better when they are relaxed.