Did you know our eating habits and behaviors around meal times can significantly impact our overall health? We live in a society that emphasizes a “go go go” mentality, and this carries into our eating habits. How often have you found yourself rushing through a meal, eating while watching TV, working, or eating in the car? We’ve all been there.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. We are each capable of making small yet significant changes over time. In order to do so, we have to first be aware of different approaches we can take to have a healthier relationship with food and be more in tune with our body.
What is Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating is an approach to food that focuses on individuals’ sensual awareness of the food and their experience of the food. It’s important because it helps us better recognize our hunger and fullness cues so we know when to eat and stop. It also helps increase satiety during a meal, preventing overeating, sugar cravings, and extreme hunger later in the day.
It involves being fully present while eating and paying attention to your food on purpose, moment by moment, and without judgment. There is another concept in intuitive eating called “conscious-awareness eating.” Essentially it means neutrally assessing your eating to see how you feel throughout a meal. This is another great way to increase mindfulness.
How to practice Mindful Eating?
There are a few strategies you can start incorporating into your life starting now. They are simple yet effective.
- Limit distractions around meals.
- Try eating at the dinner table instead of in front of the TV.
- Fully taking your lunch break instead of doing work while eating.
- Slow down while eating.
- Take your time to eat and savor your meal.
- Fully chew your food.
- Put your utensil down in between bites.
- Pay attention to how certain foods make you feel.
- This means both emotionally and physically.
- Food serves various purposes, and paying attention to what foods make us feel our best can heighten our mindfulness and enjoyment at meals.
What is Conscious Awareness Eating?
Conscious Awareness Eating is neutrally assessing your eating to see how you feel throughout a meal. This is another great way to increase mindfulness.
Five steps to practice Conscious Awareness Eating
- Pause in the middle of a meal or snack.
- Check-in with yourself: How does the food taste? How does the food make you feel? What level of hunger are you at right now?
- Decide if, based on your hunger, you want to keep eating or if you are close to stopping.
- Identify your last few bites threshold. Check-in with yourself to see when you are close to feeling full. Fullness means being satisfied from our meal but not going past the point where we feel “stuffed” or sick.
- Remember that it’s okay to leave food on your plate.
These are all great ways to get started on your mindful eating journey. Our goal in sharing this advice is to encourage people to listen to their bodies and enjoy their relationship with food. We hope you enjoyed this blog post “How to Practice and Incorporate Mindfulness When Eating.” Let us know if you found this advice helpful or have any questions in the comments.
Are you interested in booking an appointment at Clem&Thyme Nutrition? We have three convenient locations in the state of Ohio – our flagship office in Yellow Springs and extension offices in Westerville and Dublin. We also offer virtual sessions and online programs. You can learn more about our registered dietitians to find the right fit for you. Click here to get started.
