What is Mindful Eating?
I remember when I had the nightly ritual of sitting on my couch and turning on the tv with my tv toolkit: a diet coke, a bag of chips and my phone. I’d snuggle in and get ready to watch one of my favorites - Survivor. This was my reward after a long day.
what is mindful eating?
What is Mindful Eating?
Before the first Survivor Challenge, the chips were gone. I’d poke around in the bottom of the bag, looking for a few more crumbs. Blaming my dog or husband would have been the easier choice, but I knew the truth. I’d eaten the whole bag.
I ate it so quickly, I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t even taste it!
That is when I started recognizing the importance of Mindful Eating.
Here’s a quick definition, to catch you up to speed: Mindful Eating “allows you to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food selection and preparation by respecting your own inner wisdom. Using all your senses in choosing to eat food that are both satisfying and nourishing to your body. You can become aware of your physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decisions to begin and end eating” - Center for Mindful Eating
If any of this sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. I’m going to arm you with some tips on how to recognize when you might be mindlessly eating, and how to stop yourself from doing it.
Mindful eating starts sitting down and no distractions.
Ready to Be More Mindful?
1) Eat sitting down
This one may seem obvious — sitting down to eat focuses your mind to the task at hand. This will also help you become in tune with your hunger. Basically, this is the opposite of eating chips in front of the television. Now when I crave chips, I portion them into a bowl and eat them at the table. I eat about ¼ less this way.
2) Eat without distractions
Raise your hand if you’re guilty of scrolling through instagram while eating a meal alone. It’s not uncommon to eat while consuming content from your phone or the tv. Try making your meals electronic-free. This may sound challenging at first, but it is incredible how different your relationship with food will become. Start with one meal a day, and you’ll notice an instant shift!
3) Eat slowly
It may seem so simple, but practice chewing your food. When you eat slowly, you have a chance to really taste and savor what’s in your mouth. This simple step can help overeating and aid digestion.
4) Use your senses.
Stay with me here — while eating, try to engage all your senses. Notice the color, texture, smell, and even the sound as you chew. See if you can identify the ingredients on your tongue. This technique will provide a whole new sensory experience!
Start slow and be patient with yourself. Remember, learned habits take time - so practice all these techniques from the steps above. Over time they’ll become second nature and you won’t be wondering where that bag of Smartfood went while you’re sitting on the sofa anymore.