March 12, 2019
Mindful Eating
The fast-paced society we live in encourages a “go go go” mentality. We are constantly moving from one place to the next, checking off to do lists, running errands, attending to all these obligations which make us crunched for time.
This rat’s race mentality is hurting our intuition when it comes to food and is disconnecting us from our meals.
Do You:
- Eat while watching tv?
- Eat breakfast on your way to work?
- Eat dinner while talking on the phone?
- Eat while scrolling through Instagram or Facebook?
- Eat while doing work at your computer during your “lunch break”?
These distractions not only disconnect you from the food which is in front of you but they disconnect you from your hunger and the signals which indicate when you are full.
Your mind and body becomes confused. Your body is focusing on digesting the foods you are eating but your mind is lost in the daily grind which prohibited you from being present in your meal. This mind-body disconnect is a recipe for decreased digestion, a disconnection between hunger and appetite, which all lead to an unhealthy gut.
When you treat eating as a form of meditation, you become more mindful in what it means to consume food. When you increase your awareness, you become more present in what you are doing and how your body is reacting which will ultimately increase your intuition.
Ways To Increase Your Mindfulness While Eating:
- Drink a full glass of water 20-30 minutes before you know you are going to eat. Sometimes our minds get confused between the feelings of hunger and thirst.
- Do not have your phone around you while eating.
- Turn the tv off, put the computer away, if you want to listen to music be sure its soft background tunes.
- If you are cooking for yourself, try not to snack on the food while you are cooking, wait until the food is done to enjoy what you have prepared for yourself.
- Chew slowly, it is not a race. When you eat slower you are not only giving your body the chance to digest at a natural pace but you are more likely to feel when you are no longer hungry.
- Take a breath between bites. Again, this is not a race
- After you finish your plate of food, if you are wanting another serving, wait at least 5-10 minutes before filling your plate back up to check in with your body to make sure you are actually still hungry.
- After you are finished eating, take some time to relax for 10-15 minutes. Give your body some time to digest the food you just enjoyed.
