Mindful Eating
The most difficult part of eating healthy is changing habits that have been ingrained for so long. In general, we have developed a relationship with food that was never meant to be. The most effective way (in my opinion and experience) to successfully change eating habits for the better, is to detach from the emotionally habitual connection with your food. When you have a certain emotion attached to a food - for example, if you always eat Reese’s during your period, it becomes a habit that you complete that behavior based on parameters that don’t involve hunger. This is where mindful eating comes into play.
What is mindful eating? Simply put, mindful eating is just being aware of the food and drink you consume on a daily basis. This includes paying specific attention to the way the food makes you feel, how it tastes, and how it affects your hunger and satiety. The way this is played out is different for everyone, but in the beginning, you could even write down these three parameters for the foods you’re eating so you can look back next time with awareness. For example, if you indulge on something, you might say it makes you feel sick or guilty. As a trainer and coach, guilt has no place in my clients’ journey to wellness. Sometimes removing the food can help with the guilt, and finding alternatives can help with the cravings.
A few ways to practice mindful eating include:
Eat Slowly - it’s not a race! Your fullness will hit sooner, and you eliminate the risk of choking and indigestion when you take your time eating.
Chew Thoroughly - This takes time and energy, allowing you to focus on the meal and allow the body to process.
Remove Distractions - This is probably the most important piece. When your attention is split 10 different ways, you aren’t paying attention to your food. When you aren’t paying attention to your food, you risk eating an entire meal without realizing it, and wishing you had time to enjoy your food. You may even eat more to get that emotional piece. So save yourself the hassle and enjoy the meal in front of you - while removing the emotion from eating is helpful, it is inevitable for everyone to feel this way sometimes.
Stop Eating When You’re Full - This seems like a no brainer, but you don’t have to eat the food just because it’s in front of you! If you’re full, take it as a blessing that you no longer feel like eating and walk away.
Mindful eating isn’t used as a means of weight loss, but it’s highly likely that losing weight will happen as a result. The intention is to help individuals savor the moment and be fully present for their eating experience- doing so provides a satisfaction that isn’t achieved with rushed meals.
Developing a healthy relationship with food is a necessary step in any successful longterm lifestyle shift in nutrition and fitness. It doesn’t take much effort except intentionality.