The art of mindful eating
Eating is a natural, healthy, and pleasurable activity for satisfying hunger. However, in our diet and thinness-obsessed culture and fast-paced world, eating is often mindless and guilt-inducing instead.
Most of us eat very quickly and mindlessly while working at a desk, watching Netflix, or scrolling down on our phones.
Mindful eating is a powerful tool for resolving the troubled love-hate relationship with food and developing a more balanced, and joyful relationship.
What is Mindful Eating?
Mindful Eating is paying attention to the food and the eating experience, being in the present when eating, on purpose, without judgment.
It is about awareness, acceptance, compassion, and curiosity - not about rules, restrictions, or eating “righteously”.
Mindful eating encourages you to appreciate and enjoy your food and cultivates trust in your body’s internal cues rather than being restricted by external rules about what, when, or how much to eat.
It is much more than “eating slowly, without distraction.” While that’s certainly an important part of it, it also involves:
Awareness of your physical and emotional cues
Recognition of your non-hunger triggers for eating
Learning to meet your other needs in more effective ways than eating
Choosing food for both enjoyment and nourishment
Eating for optimal satisfaction and satiety
MINDFUL EATING EXERCISE
1. Remove the distractions.
A review of 24 studies found that being distracted while eating led people to eat more at that meal. It also caused them to eat more food later in the day, compared with people who paid attention to their food while eating.
Choose one meal and eat it without distractions. No phone or TV. So that you can be fully present with the food you eat.
You may think this is boring, but trust me; it will help you slow down, and enjoy your food so much more. And you’ll also be able to check in with your hunger levels.
2. Center yourself.
Take a deep breath before starting to eat.
Set an intention to really enjoy the meal and be present with your food and your body.
Be thankful for your food – there are 811 million people who regularly go to bed hungry around the world.
3. Bring awareness to the food.
Take a look at your food. Notice the color and the shape. Smell it.
As you put the food into your mouth, notice the flavor. How would you describe it to a friend? Is it savory, sweet, spicy, peppery, bitter, or sour?
What is the temperature? Is it warm, or cold?
How about the texture? Is it soft, creamy, or crunchy?
4. Chew thoroughly.
I am not going to ask you to chew 32 times like some other “health experts”, but just try to slow down and intentionally chew your food better than you normally do.
When you chew your food well, it gets broken down into smaller pieces which make digestion easier and allow the body to absorb more nutrients.
5. Listen to your gut.
Check-in with your body to see how hungry/full you are on a scale of 1 to 10 halfway through a meal. You can use the hunger/fullness scale below.
Ask yourself the following questions;
Have I had enough?
Do I need more?
Is it time to stop?
The goal isn’t to eat less, but rather to stop eating when you are comfortably full.
This simple practice will help you tune into your body and really understand the portions that allow you to feel your best.
6. Note your emotions.
Journal about how the food makes you feel.
If journaling isn’t your jam, that’s okay! Then, just simply pay attention to how you feel. But remember; the process of writing your emotions down allows you to see them more clearly.
7. Keep Practicing.
Mindful eating, like anything else, is not a quick fix. It is a skill that requires consistent practice. But the benefits are life-changing because it allows us to foster a healthy relationship with food which is the foundation of becoming a healthy and balanced eater lifelong.
You may not have time to practice mindful eating in every meal during the day as we all are busy, but that’s okay! Be gentle with yourself. There’s always another meal to approach mindfully. Keep practicing whenever you can.
If you would like to learn more about eating mindfully, I am here to help you. You can book a free 1:1 consultation with me to hear how I can help you with reaching your health goals and see if we are a good fit.
Love♥
Selen
