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Mindfulness is a practice that dates back thousands of years and is based on ancient Eastern philosophies, like those that stem from Buddhism. Recently, there seems to be a growing trend of people in Western cultures turning towards mindful practices as there has been scientific evidence to support its benefits.
Reports have shown that mindfulness can help combat a number of conditions, including chronic pain, stress, depression, anxiety, and other chronic ailments. There are also many different ways to practice mindfulness, such as meditation, yoga, mindful breathing, journaling, and visualization.
In this article, we are going to explore the art of mindful eating, and how it can nourish your body, mind, and soul.
What is Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating is about awareness and self-regulation while eating. Like all forms of mindfulness, it is about being more intentional with your thoughts and behaviors to help center you in the present moment. So instead of simply reacting with your body, you become more aware of your situation and the choices you are making, which can help curb poor behaviors.
Mindful eating means you are using all of your senses to stay present while eating. This includes paying more attention to what you are eating, how you are eating, and even how eating makes you feel. All of these things can teach you to develop more positive eating behaviors that are more nourishing for your body and your mind.
For example, mindful eating can teach you to have more gratitude and appreciation for your food and where it came from. It can teach you to better understand your body and what it needs. And it can teach you how to be more kind to yourself and move away from judgmental eating behaviors.
There are many other benefits that you can experience from developing mindful eating practices, such as:
- Aiding in digestion by eating slower
- Eating less food because you notice when your body feels full
- Making healthier food choices
- Helping you derive greater pleasure from food
When you pay closer attention to what, when, where, and how you eat, you will naturally start to develop a healthier connection to your food and develop healthier eating habits. It can also help you learn to appreciate your body and your food more and how it supports you and nourishes you in a variety of ways.
6 Tips on How to Practice Mindful Eating
We lead much faster and busier lives today, which means it’s not uncommon for most people to squeeze their meals into their schedule and rush through eating. Mindful eating, however, is the complete opposite as it forces you to slow down and turn eating into a more intentional experience that can help you feel happier, healthier, and more satisfied after eating.
Here are six tips to help you start eating more mindfully:
1. Listen to Your Body
People often use the phrase “listen to your body” when discussing health and wellness practices, but what does this mean in terms of eating?
It means slow down and pay closer attention to the cues your body is giving you. Instead of eating just to eat or eating because you think it’s the right time to eat, try eating only when your body tells you to.
Learn to understand your body’s hunger cues and eat only when it’s letting you know that you are hungry, such as when your stomach growls, gurgles, or when your energy is feeling low. Mindful eating is also about stopping when your body tells you your stomach is full.
2. Use all Your Senses and Avoid Distractions
Don’t try to multitask while eating. Instead, avoid distractions and employ all of your senses so you are fully focused on your food and your body. Don’t scroll on your phone, do computer work, or watch TV while eating. Just focus on you and your plate of food.
How does your food look? How does it smell? Taste? How does eating each bite of food make you feel? These are all important things to focus on to center yourself in the moment and eat more intentionally.
3. Consider Where Your Food Comes From
Mindful eating is also about paying closer attention to where your food comes from to ensure you are feeding your body the most nutritious foods. This can include being more intentional about where you buy your food from to help support your local economy and the environment.
For example, buying your food from local farmer’s markets is a great way to support your health and your local community as well as the environment. You can also shop at smaller health food stores to find healthier, more sustainable food options instead of buying from large corporate grocery store chains.
4. Take a Moment to Appreciate Your Food
Before you start eating, take a moment to appreciate your food and where it came from, such as the animals or plants involved and even the people who provided you with the food. This can help you nourish your soul and feel more connected to your food, which can teach you to develop more positive eating habits.
5. Eat Slowly
Eating slowly is a key component of mindful eating. Instead of eating quickly, take pauses in between each bite. Listen to how you feel and how your experience while eating shifts from one moment to the next. This will help you stay in the present moment of consuming your food, which can also help you learn to listen to your body better and what it is telling you.
6. Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time
If you are struggling to fit mindful eating practices into your busy schedule, try planning and making your meals ahead of time. Meal prepping in itself can be a form of mindfulness and can help you connect more with your food.
There are lots of great resources online that can help if you are new to meal prepping. Social media, for example, is full of influencers and videos that can teach you how to get more organized and plan your meals ahead. You can also use meal planner templates to inspire and guide you as you prepare.
Conclusion
Perhaps one of the most important things to remember about mindful eating is to not judge yourself. While this form of mindfulness can help you make healthier food choices, that doesn’t mean you should punish yourself if you occasionally treat yourself to pizza or fast food.
In fact, if you want to stay motivated on your wellness journey, it’s important to give yourself a break now and then so that your mindful practice doesn’t start to feel like a chore. The key is to stay positive and to still practice gratitude, even if you slip up from time to time.
For more ideas how to infuse moments of mindfulness into your daily life, check out Mindful Micro-Breaks: How to Recharge Yourself Within Minutes.
