Mindful Eating: How Can it Help Me?
There are lots of questions when it comes to eating. Especially now, when so much is whirling around us; causing mental unrest, anxiety, increased or decreased eating. Our waistline may or not be painting a picture of how we are reacting to our very own environment.
We ask ourselves questions every day or do we? We need to be mindful of what we put in our mouths. It’s never too late to change your relationship with food.
Are we asking these important questions?
Ø Do I want to eat?
Ø Am I really hungry or am I going to just look at food and decide if I am hungry?
Ø Am I distracting myself to not eat even though your body is sending you signals to eat?
Ø Do I ignore my body cues to hunger?
Ø How do you know you are full, satisfied, or hungry?
· When the tv show is over
· When your stomach hurts
· When the food does not taste good anymore
· When my plate is empty
Eating food is not just about being hungry, it is about fullness and being satisfied, too. And we forget about knowing that fullness and satisfaction is just as important as hunger. Being "Mindful" while eating is so important to prevent us from overeating or just to go on the path of eating healthier. Mindful Eating is simply paying attention to the eating process, to your body signals, to your feelings and thoughts in order to change your relationship to food. In addition to general Mindful Eating, a deeper understanding can come with mindful meditation practices taught through a Certified Mindful Eating Practitioner to encourage a lifelong change in behavior.
Asking some additional questions can help with those signals to paying attention and enhance our eating experience. Where does the food you are about to eat come from? How was it made? In helping us to not overeat, we need to pay attention to when you do feel a sensation of fullness. Does your food smell? Does it taste like it smells? How does it feel in your mouth? Does the taste of the food change when you are almost done eating the food? Again, being an active participant in your eating experience is key to change. Being mindful does take minimal patience and practice. Anyone can be mindful with meals and snack time. Before eating that meal or snack, ask yourself on a scale of 1-10, 10 is starving and 1 is not hungry, how do I feel and how do I know? Can I hold off? Am I even hungry? Am I done eating and satisfied?
Whether this current time in our humanity has change our eating habits or the eating struggles were there before we were on lockdown; we are humans and we eat. Bottom line. We eat for many reasons but let’s eat for you, for hunger, for fullness and for satisfaction. There is only one you and you are incredibly special!
For more guidance or questions, email me at chhealthyyou@gmail.com
Healthy to You-Cindra Holland, RDN,LDN
Flu Shots
“Healthy Diet, Healthy Shopping and Healthy You”
