Food Awareness
        

          The weakness of the mind over food can be overcome only by strengthening the intellect. In the very first page we have clearly mentioned Inquiry. Inquiry is the mode of intellect that has to be inculcated. We have to inquire and not enquire. Enquiry is mere information gathering. The modern trend is to eat foods based on reading labels, or their nutritional content and value. We do not say they are wrong, but we need to inquire whether that information will, indeed, benefit us.

          This same approach should always be used while eating food. This inquiry brings awareness. This inquiry helps us to finally gain control of the mind. To achieve results, we should have a particular mind set which, in other words, is called discipline. Good food habits are the means to disciplining the mind.

Healthy approach to gain control over food habits:

          If you have a weakness for a particular food type, e.g. sweets, then do not just avoid eating the sweets. Avoidance makes the mind more restless and craves it more. So, instead of avoiding, give it an alternative. The simplest, best and most healthy  alternatives to sweets are raisins, dates, dried fruits like dried apricots, dried figs etc. Always carry these dry fruits with you and also keep in places like the refrigerator and kitchen cabinet. The good thing about dry fruits is that they do not  spoil at room temperature. When your mind craves for sweet, eat these dry fruits first. After that, if you still feel like eating sweets, go ahead and eat. The advantage is that you tend to eat less sweets than before because you partly satiated that feeling with dry fruits. As days go by, you will naturally eat more of the  healthy dry fruits and your cravings will be reduced. You will need to adopt other mind controlling approaches along with the above method.

       Just providing an alternative food habit will not be sufficient to have control over the willful mind. Other right foods should also be eaten to decrease food cravings. We have found that eating whole foods that are unrefined and unprocessed results in overall control of  food habits and greater control of the mind. In our personal experience, we found that eating whole foods bring a natural satisfaction and reduces the craving to eat more. We feel this is the key to balanced eating.

       It is also amazing to see that water therapy somehow causes less food cravings. By doing all the five steps or Pancha Bhootas, one can gain control over the mind's restlessness. A FIVE MEN ARMY is better than a single soldier!