9 Excellent Eating Habits For Living Longer

April 26th, 2010

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. – Buddha

Taking Control

The first realization to develop good health is that you are in control. You can’t blame anyone else and doing so only weakens you. I know I’m probably not talking to most of you but this is for the few that need to hear this.

Grabbing the steering wheel is the first thing that needs to happen before you can drive your health forwards. So many people are in denial about this that I thought I’d better point it out first.

It’s hard to admit sometimes but you are doing all these things to yourself. Nobody lifts that hand to eat that burger except you. Only you have the power to change. Now when you’ve claimed your power, here are 9 excellent habits that I’d recommend to you.


1. Stop Eating At 80% Full – Your bodys signals aren’t available to your mind straight away, This is why when you eat to the point of being full, your body feels absolutely stuffed for long after you’ve finished, it was full long before then.

If you stop eating at 80% full then your body will be nourished but not stuffed and your energy wont be drained by an overly active digestive system. Digestion takes so much of your energy away. Just look at how people fall asleep after eating a Sunday Roast.


2. Eat For Nutrition First, Then Pleasure – This is a mindset which all healthy humans make at some point. You realize that health is more important than satisfying your tastebuds. Some people put importance on things like how food is prepared, the cost in disregard to the quality etc.

Eating for nutrition is simple. Just eat what your body needs. I’m not one for over complicating things and so I just eat what I know my body thrives on and makes me feel amazing and take a …


3. Daily Multi-Vitamin – When I first started a Raw Vegan Diet I had a lack of some vitamins because I started it without knowing what I was doing. I didn’t like eating some of the foods that had essential vitamins in. I now take a single multivitamin tablet each day to make up for it and make sure I covered all bases which leads me to my next point …


4. Continual Change/Improvement – You have to be prepared to pick out what you think may apply to you, what doesn’t and experiment with it including everything in this article. Most Raw Vegans don’t eat a supplement but its the right path for me right now.

Most 21 year olds don’t get up at 5am and exercise every day but that feels totally normal to me. Making small changes to your diet each day can lead to massive results a few months from now. Exercising a little self control over time allows you to conquer bigger and bigger challenges.


5. Eating The Diet That Nature Intended – Follow your intuition when it comes to deciding which foods to eat. I like to think that it will lead us all to a Raw Vegan Diet but that might not be the next step for you.

You can find more about my experiences with this diet here. I’m not trying to push it upon you. It’s just that the path for most people tends to be -

Meat/Dairy Eater > No Dairy Products > No Meat > No Processed Food > Raw Vegan (Nuts, Seeds, Fruit, Vegetables – All Uncooked) > Fruitarian (Just fruits – uncooked)


6. Heavy, Light, Veg - This idea came to me when I started a new job and needed to fit my diet around its awkward times. This is what I’d eat on an average day.

Morning – After my morning workout I’d need to get lots of calories. I would eat a fruit and nut breakfast. It would include foods like bananas, mangoes and especially avocados. This gave me energy to burn throughout the day.

Dinner – I would eat lots of fruit. I’d get a large lunch box and fill it with all the fruits that I enjoyed and more for variety. The idea is that the fruit will give you an energy boost at lunchtime just when you need it so that you can get through the rest of the day.

Tea – I’d buy a bag of fresh green leaf salad on the way home and mix it in a big bowl with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, maybe some grapes and definitely some red peppers! The idea is to eat a light meal at the end of the day so your digestive system is not working throughout the night, preventing you from getting good sleep.


7. No Eating For 2 Hours Before Sleep – Did you know that the digestive system is the most energy consuming process in the body? Eating in the 2 hours before sleep made me feel groggy because my digestive system took away all my energy so I stopped and instantly felt more refreshed in the mornings.


8. Regular Waking Time – I’d definitely recommend experimenting but here’s what worked for me. I get up at 5am every day and go to sleep whenever I feel tired. The idea is that you sleep when tired but always have a regular waking time.

It doesn’t have to be 5am. It’s one of the best things I’ve done for my health. The combination of good eating habits and good sleep does amazing things for your body.

Getting up at a regular time helps you stick to a set meal plan and opens so many other doors for you in your health. Getting up early gives you mental clarity, a sense of self control and allows you to exercise or do something you are passionate about before your normal routine starts.


9. Fasting – I didn’t know that they sold Raw Chocolate where I shop and after buying some one day, after eating no chocolate for over a week it was heavenly. Words can’t describe. It was like I hadn’t drank water for a week and the first drop was hitting my dry tongue.

I savoured it like it was the last piece of chocolate I’d ever eat. An occasional fast like this gives you a new level of appreciation for food. They say you never miss the water until its gone and you’ll appreciate it on a whole new level once its back.

You’re are an author writing the book of your health whether you like it or not. Some of the book has been written and some is still to come. It’s a work in progress and you just have to ask yourself – What am I going to write for the next few chapters?