Hey there viewers!
Food is something that our body needs to survive.
It provides us with nutrients, energy, and essential calories.
So tapping into this resource through eating should be an enjoyable task, right?
Well maybe not for some.
This is because many of us feel guilty after eating a good meal.
Why is that?
Perhaps we over-indulged, or our calories were less-than nutritious.
Wasting a valuable resource, or fueling our bodies with cheap calories can lead to feelings
of dissatisfaction.
Not to mention that tired, bloated, overstuffed feeling we get from eating more than our body
needs.
So how do we get over these feelings?
This is where mindful eating comes to the rescue.
And in today’s video, we will tell you all about it.
From what it is, how you can put it into practice to its health benefits and more, watch till
the end to learn about all of them.
Ok, let’s start by telling you what mindful eating is.
Mindful eating has roots in mindfulness meditation, which is a well-studied Buddhist practice
of being fully present and sensing one’s feelings, thoughts, physical sensations and
environment without judging or debating them.
Likewise, mindful eating makes you fully aware of the eating experience as well as your thoughts
and feelings about food.
Think about what you’d like to eat.
Think about how hungry you are, and prepare a plate that reflects that amount of hunger.
Then sit down and pay attention to the food – how it smells, how it feels in your mouth,
how it tastes and whether you’re enjoying it.
Try to pay attention to how full you feel.
If you decide you’re full, just stop eating, even if there’s food on your plate.
Mindful eating helps us be aware of what we put in our mouths, realize the tastes that
we probably have never noticed before, and when we are full.
When you pay attention to each bite of food, you’re also able to stop using food as a
way to distract yourself from uncomfortable emotions.
Studies show that mindful eating can help reduce both emotional eating and bingeing.
Although the ideal mindful-eating food choices are similar to the Mediterranean diet—centered
on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and vegetable oils—the technique can
be applied to a cheeseburger and fries.
By truly paying attention to the food you eat, you may indulge in these types of foods
less often.
In essence, mindful eating means being fully attentive to your food—as you buy, prepare,
serve, and eat it.
How often do you actually pay attention to what you’re eating?
Or are you always eating just for the heck of it?
Tell us quickly down below in the comments section!
Moving on, here’s how you can practice mindful eating:
1.
Begin with your shopping list: Consider the health value of every item you add to your
list and stick to it.
Avoid impulse buying and don't shop when you’re hungry.
Fill most of your cart in the produce section and avoid the center aisles—which are heavy
with processed food.
Also do you best to resist the chips and candy at the check-out counter.
2.
First, take a breath: Before you eat, ask yourself, ‘Am I hungry?’
Then, take a slow, deep breath to calm your nervous system.
Many people eat because they’re stressed, bored, or there’s food around.
You want to eat because you’re hungry.
Food doesn’t solve anger or disappointment.
It might soothe you for a short period of time but your problem will still be there
afterwards.
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3.
Start with a small portion.
Portion sizes are often larger than our body requires.
This easily leads to overeating and can be confusing if we are not intuitively tuned
into our hunger.
Don’t worry about finishing your plate, just enjoy and learn to be attuned to your
body’s needs.
4.
Appreciate your food.
Pause for a minute or two before you begin eating to contemplate everything and everyone
it took to bring the meal to your table.
Silently express your gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy delicious food and your companions.
5.
Bring all your senses to the meal: When you're cooking, serving, and eating, be attentive
to color, texture, aroma, and even the sounds different foods make as you prepare them.
As you chew your food, try identifying all the ingredients, especially seasonings.
6.
Focus On Your Food: Put away your phone, turn off the TV and set the magazine aside.
Multi-tasking while chowing down, or passive eating means that our bodies aren’t being
attended to as we eat.
This leads to overeating and less satisfaction.
7.
Savor every bite: Don’t forget to simply enjoy your food.
Find pleasure in it.
Make it a celebration, share it with friends, experiment with different dishes and flavors.
People have become afraid of food, as well as the kitchen.
We forget that food is such an important part of our lives.
8.
Chew thoroughly: Chew well until you can taste the essence of the food.
(You may have to chew each mouthful 20 to 40 times, depending.)
You may be surprised at all the flavors.
9.
Stop halfway: When you’re about halfway through with your meal, put your fork down
and check in with yourself.
Are you still hungry?
Or have you eaten enough to be satisfied?
This helps you listen to your body’s signals rather than just trying to clear your plate.
It trains you to pay attention to your body’s wisdom
10.
Eat slowly: If you follow the advice above, you won't bolt your food down.
Devote at least five minutes to mindful eating before you chat with your tablemates.
Now, let’s talk about a few benefits of mindful eating:
Less bloating and gas: By taking time to eat, slowing down and chewing each mouthful, your
system has more of a chance to properly digest.
This reduces the amount of undigested food in your gut left to ferment and bloat you
out.
It can also reduce other digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhea, reflux and
IBS like symptoms.
Better nutrient absorption: When you practice mindful eating, more vital nutrients are available
for our hormones, cells and organs.
This gives them more energy to do everything they need to do.
Less unhealthy eating behaviors: Mindful eating can help with unhealthy eating behaviors like
boredom eating, emotional eating, or even grazing.
That mental check-in before you eat can help you work out whether you’re truly feeling
hunger, or if you’re responding to something else with a desire to eat.
If you’re stressed, rather than hungry, de-stressing might help you unwind before
reaching for the candy.
Less stress: When you take time and slow down your eating, you are naturally reducing your
cortisol, the stress hormone.
This can help with weight loss, mood, anxiety, concentration, PMS, memory and sleep.
Stress in general can wreak havoc on your body and it’s very important to tackle it
before it inflicts more damage.
Learn how to identify its signs by watching “11 Silent STRESS Signs That Are Killing
You Slowly”
Now, back to Everything you wanted to know about mindful eating and its benefits.
Weight loss: Weight loss is another benefit of mindful eating.
Studies have shown that it helps you eat less and feel more full.
When you start feeding actual hunger cues, you’re likely to lose weight.
This is because you’re paying attention to what you choose to eat, how much to eat
and how often.
You’re not as likely to go back for seconds.
Mindful eating may also help you change unhealthy eating habits.
You’re paying attention to your life more, not just when you’re sitting down and eating.
But your patterns around food: when you eat, where you eat and why you eat.
Awareness of when you are physically hungry and knowing when to stop eating can help you
eat the right amount of food and take care of your metabolism.
Increased appreciation of food: You’ll love your food even more if you take the time to
appreciate and enjoy it.
If you tend to ‘emotional eat’ – when you’re upset, sad or bored for example,
mindful eating can help end that cycle.
Here’s a fun activity that can help you get started on mindful eating:
For this, all you’ll need is your favorite cookie.
Pick up the cookie, and inspect it like you’re trying it for the first time —front and
back.
Note how it looks, how it feels, and how much it weighs in your hand.
Be like “Ooh, a cookie!
Lookie!”
Now take a big whiff.
What does it smell like?
Does smelling it make your mouth water?
Are you ready to take a bite?
Make a note of these sensations and continue taking your time.
Take a bite of the cookie and hold it in your mouth without chewing for a second.
What does it feel and taste like?
Can you pick up on some new flavors or textures that maybe you hadn’t noticed before?
Now chew slowly and fully before swallowing, paying attention to any changes in taste or
texture that occur while you’re chewing.
Is it crunchy?
Soft?
Wait until after you’ve fully swallowed before taking your next bite.
As you continue to practice mindful eating, this thoughtful approach toward your meal
will become more automatic and less awkward.
While mindful eating can help you establish a healthy relationship with food, it is very
important that you eat the right food in the first place.
Learn more about the foods we’re talking about by:
Understanding Healthy Foods Men Should Eat Every Day
Or
Finding out Nutritious Foods You Should Be Eating Every Day
These 2 videos will definitely help you pick the best foods for a healthier body.
So go ahead and watch one or both for maximum benefits.
Have you ever practiced mindful eating?
If not, would you ever give it a try?
Let us know in the comments section below!