Mindful Eating
Do you remember the last meal that you have without any distractions, like mobile, laptop, tv, or any other? Well, you might not and this is because of the act of mindless eating.
You should read Healthy TIP # 04: Avoid eating with distractions.
In this era of fast-paced life and abundant food choices, we all have fallen into the trap of mindless eating. In such cases, we are not aware of what we are eating, how much we are eating, when we are full, and what our physical cues are telling us. This act of mindless eating leads to many health issues. BU here is a way to fix it, that is MINDFUL EATING.
Table of Contents
In this article we will discuss how get start with mindful eating and we are the benefits of doing so.
What Is Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating is derived from the concept of mindfulness which is a Buddhist concept, that teaches us to recognize and understand our emotions and physical sensations.
Mindful eating is basically a technique that improves our eating habits. It helps us to distinguish between emotional and physical hunger. The basic concept of mindful eating is to pay closer attention to food and understand the way your food actually makes you feel.
Why We Need Mindful-Eating?
Mindful eating is a need of time because nowadays eating has become a mindless act. We usually eat quickly, because of our busy schedules, this causes our brain to take time to recognize that we are full. We can say that the signal of fullness is delayed until we have eaten too much.
Also, sometimes we are just doing external eating, which means we are not actually hungry but eating in response to the sight or smell of food. This can be avoided by adopting mindful eating because then we can identify whether we are actually hungry or not. This avoids Binge eating too and can prevent obesity and weight gain.
Nowadays there is a prevailing culture of junk food as they are easy to eat and an affordable option to buy. But eating them every day for almost every meal is definitely not a healthy option, but still, we eat them mindlessly. Mindful eating involves giving full attention to what we are eating and making us realize whether we are having healthy food or not.
Benefits Of Mindful Eating
Mindful eating helps you to enjoy your food to its fullest and helps you to make wiser food choices for your body. The following are some common benefits of Mindful eating:
01. Appreciation For Food
Mindful eating makes you enjoy every bit of your food. When you eat food with full concentration, focusing n what you are eating; you will experience more satisfaction than just by shoving it up in your mouth. It has also been observed that when you concentrate on your food, you get satisfied with smaller portions. Also, you feel grateful for the food and appreciate this blessing.
02. Improves Digestion
Mindful eating involves slow eating and thorough chewing. I will allow food to get digested effectively. Prolong chewing helps the enzymes in the mouth to start the digestion process which helps in the quick digestion of food in the stomach.
03. Helps To Avoid Unhealthy Cravings
Mindful eating is like formatting your brain, because you start responding differently to different cues. This means that when you focus that what you are eating, your brain tells you that it might not be good for your health. As a result of this, when you get an unhealthy craving in the future your food choice changes and you opt for more healthy options. This makes you feel good and satisfied while endeavouring it.
04. Weight Management
Mindful eating involves listening to your body which helps in weight management. When you adopt practices of mindful eating, you are not measuring your hunger by external measures like the amount o food, the smell of food, etc, instead you are relying on what your body is telling you. Also focusing n our food helps you to be satisfied with small portions, which helps you to manage your weight and prevent obesity.
05. Regulate Eating Patterns
Practicing mindful eating guides you to understand your body’s internal cues. This makes u eat only when you are hungry and not when you are full. With regular practice of mindful eating your eating patterns get regulated as you only feel hungry only at the time of proper meals that is three times a day, avoiding all unnecessary snacking urges.
How To Practice Mindful Eating
There are some steps for you to start with Mindful eating:
Avoid Distractions While Eating
Make your eating time free from all kinds of distractions, tv, mobile, laptop, work, etc. Make your meal time, ‘me time’, this means taking out a separate time slot from your schedule for eating. This time will be your break from your busy hectic day and will help you to focus on what you are eating. By doing this you will not only practice mindful eating but will also enjoy your food to its fullest. Learn More…
Be Regular In Your Meals
Make a schedule for your meal and fix a time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now you have to try your best to follow this schedule and be strict. This will help you to take meals at a regular time and will also train your brain to send signal f hunger at specified times during the day. However, it will take time to train your body but if you follow it with consistency it will help you to avoid unnecessary snacking. Learn More…
Be Positive Towards Your Food
Having a positive attitude during attitude is very important. If you feel negative or deprived that you can’t eat this or that then you are more likely to fail. Have a positive attitude and change your statement that ‘I am not eating that because it’s my choice’. This assertive affirmation is really gonna help to start with this journey. Learn More…
Make A Daily Food Plan
Make a dedicated food plan which must include all the food items that you are going to take in your meals for a day. This food plan should be nutritious and include healthy choices. You can also enjoy occasional indulgences but these indulgences must be planned and included in your daily food plan. You can also make a plan with small meals r include healthy snacks if you feel hungry between meals. Learn More…
Bottom Line
Mindful eating is a transformational journey that can bring joy, awareness and balance in you life. By incorporating mindful eating practices in your life you can nourish your body and maintain healthy balance in your life. So start your mindful journey and embrace your relationship with food, but remember consistency is the key.
