4 Ways to Practice Mindful Eating Every Day
Does this happen to you?
You sit down with a bag of chips or pint of ice cream intending to eat only one serving, but before you know it the entire container is empty. You have no real recollection of tasting what you just ate, much less enjoying it, as your attention was focused elsewhere. Just like coming home from a familiar place and not remembering the drive, you seem to have eaten the whole thing on autopilot.
This is mindlesseating is how many of us eat every meal of every day. Consuming our food without any awareness of what or how much food we are eating. This reactive, thoughtless process is part of the reason for much of overeating and weight gain in this country.
What is Mindful Eating and How Do I Do It?
Mindful eating is exactly that– it is a practice of staying present as you eat. It is noticing what and how much food you are eating by focusing on the sensory experiences of fueling your body. What are the colors in this meal? What textures are present and how do they combine in each bite? What flavors do you notice both in individual foods and bite combinations?
Mindful eating is not a fad diet which promises quick results and then sends you on to the weight and self-esteem roller coaster. Instead, mindful eating is about changing your relationship with food, so that you don’t feel controlled or afraid of it. When you eat mindfully, you practice sustaining your attention, you taste and experience food more fully, and you feel more satisfied after you eat.
If this sounds like something you’d like to try, here are four ways you can begin practicing mindful eating every day:
1. In Sight – In Mind
You know the old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind?” Well the opposite is also true – the food we see and have readily available is what we tend to want to eat. Try putting away (or throwing out) any foods that you don’t want to eat impulsively and instead put out a bowl of fruit and/or nuts on the counter for when you have low blood sugar and your body says “feed me, now!”
Mindful eating starts with being prepared by meal planning and grocery shopping. Focus on stocking your fridge and shelves with healthier foods and snacks that you will feel good about eating. Having these healthy options readily available makes it easy to make a choice you feel proud of!
2. Stop Multitasking
How often do you just eat and only eat? Most of us eat while watching TV, reading, doing homework, or checking our phone. Try making meal times a time for eating and only eating, so that you can actually be present with the process and enjoy your food. If you absolutely must work through your lunch break, try alternating between tasks so you can focus on one thing at a time. For instance, take a few bites of your lunch focusing on the look, smell, taste, and texture, then put down your fork and write and send that email that has to get out. By switching back and forth you can eat mindfully and not rush your meal while still getting some work done.
3. Slow Down
Unless you’ve entered a pie-eating contest, there’s no rush. Too many times we wolf down our food, then wonder why we feel sick or tired after eating. Take your time to notice the eating process. It might help to remind yourself as you chew, to slow down and take your time. Eventually slow, purposeful eating will become an ingrained habit, but like any habit change it takes practice.
4. Assess Your Hunger
How hungry are you when you begin to eat? Are you even hungry at all, or are you eating for another reason, like as an emotional coping tool?
Before you dive into that large pizza with the works, check in with your real hunger level. On a scale of 1-10, if your hunger is a 3, one slice should suffice. If you’re not hungry, but in a bad mood because the boss is making you stay late, then pizza probably isn’t the best solution. Instead, you might try to lift your mood with a non-food treat like a funny YouTube video you know you like or thinking of something that you are looking forward to.
Try to incorporate these tips into your everyday life. You will be surprised how mindful eating can change your entire life, from the size clothes you wear, to your health, to how in control you feel in other areas of your life.
Therapy can help if you would like support working on changing your relationship with food or the emotions that you are trying to manage with food. Feel free to call me for a free consultation session to discuss starting therapy.
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