Have you ever heard about Mindful eating? Mindful eating is about slowing the process down, paying closer attention to what you’re eating, and listening to your body. Mindful eating encourages you to be more conscious of your food choices, to really taste and enjoy your food, and to stop when you have had enough. And many experts believe it could ultimately change your relationship with food, ridding you of any guilt you may associate with eating.

I. Mindful eating is backed by science

Changing your diet doesn’t begin by changing what you eat. It begins by changing how you think – google image

“Changing your diet doesn’t begin by changing what you eat. It begins by changing how you think,” says Megrette Fletcher, R.D., cofounder of The Center for Mindful Eating. The best reason to practice mindfulness when you eat: science proves it’s helpful! Research shows when you eat mindfully, you’re more likely to make healthier choices and stop eating when you’re full. There’s also evidence to suggest it can help you lose weight, decrease risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure, and improve the way you feel about yourself and your body.

1. How to add mindfulness to your mealtime

2. Eat the rainbow

One easy way to spruce up a simple dish and make it a mindful exercise is to be aware of the colors going into your recipe. Adding color to your meals brings your senses into the experience. Your eyes get to engage and enjoy the food as much as your mouth does. As a bonus, eating your colors also ensures you’re getting varied nutrition and a range of phytonutrients. Red, purple, yellow, blue, and even white foods all offer a variety of vitamins and minerals our bodies need. Certain colors in foods may even help prevent disease.

II. Slow down

Slowing down and fully chewing – google image

Chew slowly to enjoy your food more and be more in tune with how full you are getting. Still going too fast? Try putting your fork down and taking a few breaths between bites. (Avoid the urge to reach for your smartphone or turn on the TV during these quiet moments.)

Take the time to identify every flavor with each bite, by thoroughly chewing your food. Don’t take or think about your next fork-full until you have fully enjoyed the previous one. Slowing down and fully chewing helps your body digest nutrients more efficiently and helps your mind register every mouthful, reducing your chances of overeating.

III. Let time stop

This may require setting aside more time than you actually need so you don’t have to constantly watch the clock. That way you can move from task to task without the sense that your hungry family members are twiddling their thumbs and tapping their feet while you work. Digestive enzymes are released as soon as our eyes see our food and our nose smells the aroma. This means that our senses play an integral role in digestion. Take the time to taste the nuances of the flavors as they hit your tongue and smell the scents as they waft up from the plate. Invest at least 20 minutes into the process of eating, from beginning to end.

IV. Set the stage

Putting on your favorite music – google image

Ritualize the process of cooking from beginning to end. Start with a bouquet of flowers on the table to bring some visual warmth to the room. Bring the sense of hearing into the process by putting on your favorite music and swaying along as you stir. Just make sure to keep it low enough that you can hear the food sizzling, bubbling, and coming to life. These sounds can be a sort of music in and of themselves, and like mentioned above, get the digestion process started.

Source: Healthline, Fitbit 

READ MORE

HOW TO STOP STRESS EATING OR EATING WHEN YOU’RE BORED?

HURRY SICKNESS – “A COMMON DISEASE” IN MODERN ERA

8 HEALTHY FOODS DIETITIANS ALWAYS HAVE IN THE KITCHEN