“Eating is a sensual act.”-Maria Vazquez Castro
It is not an easy task achieving and especially maintaining a healthy weight for most of us, women over 50. However, there are ways to achieve that ideal weight goal. As I have mentioned in previous posts, now is not the time for dieting, starving yourself, counting calories, or making special meals just for you. Nor is it time for food deprivation.
In my never-ending quest to find ways to stay healthy or be healthier, I read a lot about healthy eating. It’s impossible not to encounter many health-related articles that talk about mindfulness. The concept of mindfulness can be applied to several life spheres. In fact, I think we should all be mindful about pretty much everything we do. It will make life a lot more pleasurable.
Once again, I firmly believe in the link between mind and body. Eating mindfully has a lot to do with that connection. In fact, I think I have been somehow eating mindfully for a long time without knowing it. I now have accurate information about this practice. I will be trying it as soon as I can incorporate it into my routine.
This article will focus mainly on mindful eating. I will cover the basics of this technique, what it means, the benefits of this practice, how to incorporate this practice into your life, and why you should try it. The information provided will help understand how helpful this way of eating could be for binge eaters, unhealthy eating behaviors, including eating disorders. Mindful eating can also work for weight loss and weight maintenance.
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating is a technique that helps you gain control over your eating habits. It’s based on mindfulness, a Buddhist concept. Eating mindfully is a form of meditation that enables you to recognize and cope with your emotions and physical sensations.
Mindful eating is about bringing awareness to how you eat, what you eat, and the actual experience of eating. In today’s fast-paced society, eating has become a mindless act, often done quickly. This can be problematic since it takes your brain up to 20 minutes to realize you’re full (think binge-eating). We don’t always pay attention to what we eat, how much, how it tastes, and how it affects us.
Doing an everyday activity mindfully involves using all senses, taking note of colors, textures, and shapes. It also involves smells and sounds.
The practice of eating mindfully also involves paying attention to how you feel before and after eating, how you shop for food, and how you cook it. It is a complete experience.
According to Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training, “mindful eating involves conscious food selection, alertness of physical versus psychological hunger, the consciousness of satiety cues, and the allocation of sufficient time for eating.
This technique has been shown to promote weight loss, reduce binge eating, and help you feel better.
Mindful eating is a novel intervention to improve overall health. Furthermore, researchers have found that mindful eating effectively controls some chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes. In addition, mindful eating and mindful exercise can help resolve eating disorders, prevent weight gain, and maintain a healthy BMI.
Mindful eating tools were given to help prevent overeating and emotional eating without causing anorexia. It also works with frequent snaking habits.
To conclude with the definition of this eating technique, I think the most important part of this practice is its connection to our brain and emotions. Mindful eating is maintaining an in-the-moment awareness of the food and drink you put into your body. It involves observing how the food makes you feel and the signals your body sends about taste, satisfaction, and fullness.
Eating mindfully requires you to simply acknowledge and accept rather than judge the feelings, thoughts, and body sensations you observe. It can extend to the process of buying, preparing, and serving your food, as well as consuming it.
While mindful eating might not be for everyone-or not everyone can eat mindfully every single bite they take-many people find that eating this way, even for just a few meals a week, you become more attuned to your body (this is one of the main goals of eating mindfully).
This can help to avoid overeating, make it easier to change your dietary habits for the better, and enjoy the improved well-being that comes with a healthier diet.
What mindful eating IS NOT
It’s important to understand that mindful eating is not about being perfect, always eating the right things, or never allowing yourself to eat on the go again. And it’s not about establishing strict rules for how many calories you can eat or which foods you have to include or avoid in your diet. This practice is about focusing all your senses and being present as you shop for, cook, and eat your food. In short, it’s not a diet; it’s an attitude towards eating and food.
Difference between mindless eating and mindful eating
Perhaps the differentiation between the two opposite ways of eating will clarify the concept that is being explained.
Mindless Eating
- Eating on autopilot.
- Eating to fill an emotional void.
- Eating junk or comfort food.
- Eating food as quickly as possible.
- Eating until all the food has gone, ignoring your body’s signals of fullness.
Mindful Eating
- Focusing your attention on your food and the experience of eating.
- Eating only to satisfy physical hunger.
- Eating nutritionally healthy meals and snacks.
- Eating slowly, savoring every bite.
- Eating only until you are full.
Health benefits of mindful eating
Unmindful eating is one of the primary reasons for overeating and obesity.
Research has found that eating mindfully improves digestion, gives more energy, prevents type 2 diabetes, overeating, excessive snacking as well as helping lose weight. Here are some of the most obvious benefits of eating mindfully:
- It can help you to slow down and take a break from the bustles of your day, easing stress and anxiety.
- It can help you examine and change-if necessary- your relationship with food. It also helps you notice when you turn to food for reasons other than hunger (emotional eating).
- It will help derive greater pleasure from the food you eat, as you learn to appreciate your meals fully.
- You will make healthier choices about the food you ingest.
- It will improve your digestion by eating slower.
- You will feel fuller sooner by eating less food.
- It will help you eat in a healthier, more balanced way.
It’s very important to notice our thought patterns and emotions associated with food before changing our behaviors towards food.
Mindful eating can also help prevent binge eating. It can both reduce the frequency of binges, and the severity of each binge. Eating mindfully gives you the skills you need to deal with emotional eating impulses(the act of eating in response to certain emotions). This is considered one of several unhealthy eating behaviors, which can sometimes lead to eating disorders.
Eating mindfully puts you in charge of your responses instead of at the whim of your instinct.
This awareness regarding eating will help you lose weight, improve your relationships with food and improve your overall health and well-being. Once again, it’s about connecting the dots to find balance in our lives.
How to practice mindful eating
Mindful eating takes practice. Once you have the hang of it, mindfulness will become more natural. You need to participate in an activity with total awareness. It’s important to eat with all your attention, using all of your senses.
It’s recommended to try mindful eating for short periods at first-perhaps starting with a few meals a week-and gradually build up from there. Below there are the basic steps you need to take.
- Start by taking a few deep breaths and considering the health value of each different piece of food.
- Eat more slowly and chew thoroughly.
- Eliminate distractions and try to eat in silence.
- Focus on how the food makes you feel. Take a bite and notice how it feels in your mouth.
- Put your utensils down between bites.
- Tune into your hunger. How hungry are you? You want to come to the table hungry.
- Stop eating when you are full.
- Ask yourself why you are eating, whether you are truly hungry, and whether the food you chose is healthy.
- Give gratitude and reflect on where this food came from.
The bottom line
Mindful eating helps you distinguish between emotional and physical hunger. It also increases your awareness of food-related triggers and gives you the freedom to choose your response to them.
Mindful eating is a powerful tool to regain control of your eating (binge eaters, emotional or stress-related eating). Whether you want to change your eating habits, lose weight, control impulses, or maintain a healthy lifestyle, mindful eating is worth considering.
I will keep experimenting on mindful eating and get back to you with the results. Let’s get inspired!