The reason eating mindfully has gained so much popularity recently is because it makes sense and delivers all sorts of positive results, with no money outlay!
It’s basically thinking about what you’re doing right or eating right now. It’s about taking the time to really relish your food while your food delivers you from hunger.
If your objective is to lose weight, eating mindfully can definitely help out. Other benefits are decreased overeating and food anxieties. It helps lessen the frequency and intensity of binge eating and in turn helps treat eating disorders.
Better choices mean less chance of heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke and a plethora of other diseases. The benefits are obvious and extensive. Now let’s look into several tricks and ways to help you eat mindfully.
Chew Your Food
Give yourself about 20 good chews for each bite. Now, that doesn’t mean shovel in a giant bite so you feel there’s enough to keep chewing on. The point is to savor and taste your entire bite from beginning to finish. Let it take over your mouth and let your brain process all that’s happening in there.
Slow Down the Shovel
If you’re having difficulty slowing things down, trying eating with your non-dominant hand or using chopsticks. Place your fork on the table between bites and only pick it up when you have finished chewing. Obviously with soups or stews it’s not ideal, but you can still put your utensils on the table between bites for those dishes.
Close Your Eyes and Taste
For each meal you are purposely eating mindfully, on the first bite close your eyes. Try to identify each ingredient used in preparation. Each part of your tongue responds differently to different flavors.
Properly Serve, Then Sit
Mindfulness is all about experiencing, so make each meal an experience! Don’t be afraid to use the good china and pretty glassware. Food should be enjoyed. It should also be eaten while sitting down. When you are finding ways to eat mindfully, sit down. Using plates when snacking is a great way to track exactly how much you are eating.
Have you ever walked by the pantry and grabbed a handful of chips? You were just on the way to the laundry room right? Four loads of laundry later and the bag of chips is nearly gone! Serve, then sit. It works!
Eat Without Distraction
Try eating, at the table of course, but without a device in your hand or a TV overhead making noise. It actually robs you of the mindful eating experience. You can’t possibly pay attention to the weather report or become one with the detective on your favorite crime drama show if you are deliberately tasting each morsel and identifying every exploding flavor you’ve carefully prepared for your meal.
Start with One
Eating mindfully isn’t something you just pick up overnight. It takes time and practice, just like any other type of meditation. The experiences become greater over time, and then you form habits. Undoubtedly you’ll form better eating habits with more nutritional value than before.
The object is to start with one. One meal, once a day. If you fall off track, pick right back up where you left off and get back in there. Increase the mindful eating meals as you feel comfortable. This isn’t a race, but a gradual process to become healthier and eat more purposefully.
By no means is this an extensive list of ways to eat mindfully. You have to start somewhere though, and these suggestions will help you do just that. The hardest part of forming any worthwhile habit is getting started.
Eating mindfully is a personal experience and unique to each individual. What works for one may not be feasible or applicable to another. Don’t be afraid to experiment. This isn’t a traditional diet laced with strict rules. In time though, you’ll find the ways of mindful eating that work best for you and your overall health and wellness.
