Diet is the first step in building a person’s body and thoughts (mind). According to the saying “Diet is medicine”, diet is the main reason for the health and ill health of the body. If we understand how to eat better—how much food to eat, when to eat, how to eat, what kind of food to eat, and with what mindset to eat—and follow it consistently, we can live a healthy life without medicine. At fitnslim, we believe this is the foundation for lasting wellness.
1. Always Consume Food in the Proper Quantities
We all know that eating food in the right quantity is essential to health, but we often lose sight of how to eat better in terms of portion control. The stomach isn’t a dustbin—it should only be given what it can comfortably digest. Ancient Ayurvedic texts like the Ashtangahridaya remind us that digestion is optimized only when we eat in appropriate amounts.
At fitnslim, we promote eating slightly less than full capacity to allow the digestive fire to work efficiently. This simple approach is at the heart of how to eat better every day.
“The matter-eater should always be the matter-bearer of the fire.”
Meaning: One should always eat and drink in a fixed quantity, because only by eating and drinking in a fixed amount can the gastric fire do its work of digestion
There it is said in the Ashtangahridaya that,
“The amount of happiness specified in the dose is Digested.”
Meaning: The quantity is that which can be digested comfortably.Many times we stuff so much food in our stomachs that the digestive fire gets quenched with that food. We live with the belief that whatever food we eat gets digested. But to keep the digestive system sharp for a longer time, one should always eat less food than the maximum capacity of the digestive system; this is true wisdom
A balanced diet is essential to maintain our good health
One of the most powerful habits for better health is to stop eating while you’re still slightly hungry, even when your favorite food is in front of you. This practice, though simple in theory, requires true discipline and self-control—qualities that even experienced doctors, vaidyas, monks, and spiritual leaders often struggle to maintain. Why? Because applying this wisdom in real life demands a strong command over both the tongue and the mind, which is not easy.
Following this mindful approach to eating is one of the key tips on how to eat better and can help prevent a wide range of diseases. In today’s world, people often resort to extreme measures like sudden dieting or short-term fasting to reduce weight. While these methods may provide quick results, they are rarely sustainable. As a result, the lost weight often returns just as quickly.
The real, long-term solution lies in maintaining a consistent, appropriate quantity of food—a balanced and sustainable diet. This not only helps manage body weight effectively but also supports lifelong health. Moreover, with a proper diet, the digestive system remains active and efficient, processing food in less time and allowing the body to perform physical, mental, and even spiritual activities more effectively.
By incorporating How to Eat Better: Healthy, Balanced & Sugar-Free Tips into your lifestyle, you create a foundation for better health, increased energy, and a more mindful relationship with food.
2. Eat for Real Hunger, Not Cravings
Modern living has blurred the line between true hunger and emotional eating. With food easily available at all times, people often eat based on mental cues rather than genuine need. If you’re wondering how to eat better, one essential rule is: eat only when you’re genuinely hungry.This discipline is one of the pillars of the fitnslim philosophy.
Eating mindfully helps the brain tap into stored fat for energy, rather than adding more fat unnecessarily. Recognizing the difference between real hunger and cravings is a powerful step in learning how to eat better.
Therefore, it is said in Madhavanidana that,
“All diseases are in a slow fire.”
The root cause of almost all diseases is indigestion caused by poor digestion.
Just like when there is less fire in the stove, adding more wood at once does not ignite the fire but only increases the smoke. Similarly, eating food when there is no hunger in the stomach leads to many diseases like indigestion, constipation, acidity, etc.
How to Eat Better starts with understanding your body’s real signals of hunger rather than following a fixed eating schedule. Yes, many people take a food break at a fixed time due to their job, even when they are not actually hungry. In such a situation, it’s important to eat only when you’re truly hungry or make arrangements to eat food only when your body needs it. This mindful approach is a key step in learning how to eat better. But how can one identify true hunger?
Just as the boiling of milk doesn’t represent its actual state, the hunger we commonly feel is not always real hunger. When the body follows its natural circadian rhythm of food and sleep, we may or may not feel hungry at mealtime, but the brain often reminds us to eat out of habit. During these times, acid is released in the stomach, which we mistakenly interpret as hunger. However, this is just a signal from the brain—not a genuine sign of physical need.
To truly master how to eat better, it’s essential to pause and observe whether your hunger is real. If hunger arises only due to the brain’s signal, have patience and wait. Doing so encourages the brain to tap into the excess fat stored in the body, providing energy naturally. But if we give in too soon and treat that signal as real hunger, the body stores the food as additional fat instead.
Therefore, it is not advisable to eat food immediately when you feel a little hungry, but the body should be habituated to bear a little hunger. Always eat food not based on the hunger of the mind, but based on the true hunger of the stomach.
Chew Your Food Properly
Learning how to eat better also involves chewing food thoroughly. Properly chewed food is digested more easily, reducing strain on your digestive system. Chewing also improves nutrient absorption and gives your body time to recognize fullness, preventing overeating.
Properly chewed food is digested in approximately two hours. The digestive system has to bear almost no burden (approximately 15%) in digesting it. Whereas if the same food is eaten without chewing, it takes three to four hours to digest it, and the digestive system has to bear a lot of the burden (70 to 80%) in digesting it.
Even though we know the benefits of chewing food, why can’t we adopt this good habit?
At fitnslim, we encourage slow eating habits as a long-term strategy for health and balance.
5. Develop Discretion Around Snacks
Eating snacks mindlessly or too soon after meals can disrupt digestion and lead to weight gain. To know how to eat better, understand that snacks should be taken two hours after meals, not immediately. Avoid heavy drinks during meals, like buttermilk or sugary beverages, especially in summer.
Following this practice, as recommended by fitnslim, helps maintain a lean body and active metabolism—two key results of understanding how to eat better..
6. Time Your Water Intake Wisely
Hydration is important, but how to eat better also includes when to drink water. Ayurveda advises drinking water 45 minutes before meals, sipping only small amounts during meals, and waiting at least 2 hours after meals for regular hydration.
It is said in Ayurveda:
“They are equally thick and thin and have eaten the middle and first waters.”
Meaning: Drinking water before food slows down the gastric fire, due to which the food eaten is not digested and the body remains weak. Drinking a little (1 to 2 sips) of water after eating half the food keeps the metals in proper quantity. Drinking water at the end of the meal increases phlegm and makes the body obese (fat).
This keeps the digestive fire strong and prevents bloating or indigestion—principles we live by at fitnslim. By understanding water timing, you’re mastering yet another aspect of how to eat better.
Just as pouring water on the stove extinguishes the fire, similarly, drinking excess water while eating slows down the gastric fire.
The series of how drinking water during meals leads to disease is demonstrated below.
It goes by drinking too much during meals and the digestive juices become diluted. The stomach fire becomes slow. Digestion becomes weak. It takes a long time to digest. Food lies in the stomach for a long time.The series of how drinking water during meals leads to disease is demonstrated below.
Therefore, snacks should be taken two hours after meals every day.