What is Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating is about listening to your body and only eating when we feel hungry. It's not about what your brain thinks it wants, as it takes 20 minutes for the brain to register that the stomach is full. It's about being in touch with how your body is feeling, really savouring food by chewing it well and not eating for the sake of it.
A research article by Harvard Medical School states, “A small yet growing body of research suggests that a slower, more thoughtful way of eating could help with weight problems and maybe steer some people away from processed food and unhealthy choices.”
So often we eat out of habit, such as having a biscuit or two with a cup of tea when we are watching tv, and find we have polished off most of the pack. I don't know about you but I can eat vast amounts of food when I have a glass of wine or two, or when I am stressed with work or family life. A more thoughtful way of eating definitely sounds a great way to control weight.
Image copywrite Gustavo Frazao Shutterstock
If you have a family you probably want to eat with them together at convenient times but really think about what you are eating and why you are eating it. If you have food left on your plate and you feel full, leave it. I know we are often conditioned to eat every scrap of food on our plates but what about using the leftovers for another meal, or freezing it for another time?
Mindful eaters still eat cake and chocolate, but when they do they savour every morsel. If you are following this way of life, based on a Buddhist concept, which essentially is everything in moderation then be sure to forgive yourself too if you do not follow it every day. I feel there is nothing worse than feeling guilty when you eat.
If you want a biscuit eat it, turn off the tv and savour it, and leave the rest of the packet
Something that is recommended is to keep a daily food and emotions journal. This will help you find the triggers. That way you will replace being self critical with self acceptance.
Also think about portion size. We live in a supersize culture where food is available 24 hours a day, a lot of it is unhealthy and in huge portions. Really think about what you are putting into your body but deprivation and feast/famine behaviour.
To find out more about Mindful Eating, LV have written about it here. I was gifted a Spiralizer to write this post, and I will be reviewing that in due course.
Tell me, what do you think of the principles of being a mindful eater?
* a collaborative post,, all words and opinions are my own.
I am totally an emotional eater, I'm really trying to me more mindful too xx
ReplyDeleteIt's a struggle Michelle, isn't it? I eat sometimes when watching TV and that's a no no too.
DeleteI used to be an emotional eater too, I ended up gaining two stone.. hence my need for creating my health and fitness blog. Feels like eating is the biggest issue on our plates at the moment, mind the pun!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh. How did you change your eating habits?
DeleteThank you for the amazing post! It has opened up my eyes :) x
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments.
DeleteThanks for sharing, I too struggle with emotional eating ..... in fact I've gained almost 2 stone since last summer but I think I have it back under control - for me something just clicks and I stop doing it. As you mention, emotional eaters should try not to beat themselves up about it because it doesn't matter how much we know we are doing it and that we shouldn't until that certain something clicks, we don't stand a hope of getting it back under control.x
ReplyDeleteIf you can find other coping mechanisms for stress other than eating then that does help, but I know it all and still I do it lol.
DeleteThis is a really great post, I keep a food diary but have never thought about noting emotions too.
ReplyDeleteSome people's emotions rule what they eat. Noting down how you feel and what you eat can be a useful tool in analysing over eating.
DeleteI'm feeling very grumpy because I've put on four or five pounds lately so I definitely need to be more mindful about my eating. I suspect it's one too many visits to Pizza Express (Ieuan's favourite). I find it's difficult to stop snacking when the kids are having something e.g. when they come home from school.
ReplyDeleteI find I snack around that time too.
Delete