“Mindful eating replaces self-criticism with self-nurturing. It replaces shame with respect for your own inner wisdom”
-Jan Chozen Bays
Mindful eating is way of eating that offers freedom and is non-restrictive, so say goodbye to fad diets and restrictive eating. There is no right or wrong way to practice mindful eating. It is all about listening to your body and eating foods that satisfy you physically and emotionally. Adopting mindful eating practices will allow you to reconnect to your hunger and fullness cues and help you reconnect to your body’s innate wisdom. It enables you to effectively nourish your body and heart by bringing awareness to how food choices support health and well-being. The practice of mindful eating will connect you to your food and the process of food preparation as well as offer you the opportunity to express gratitude for the food you consume.
Mindful Eating is...
- Using all of the senses to choose food that is both nourishing and satisfying to the body.
- Acknowledging feelings of food choices without any judgement.
- Being aware of hunger cues to help guide when to begin and end eating.
- Savoring the taste of each bite by eating slowly.
- Chewing food thoroughly and resting in between bites.
- Focusing on the present moment and limiting distractions while eating.
Ways to Practice:
- Put down your phone
- Turn off the TV
- Put away your laptop and anything work related
Ask yourself the following questions before you decided to eat or not:
- Is your stomach rumbling?
- Are you tired? hungry? anxious? sad? happy? full? satisfied?
- Do you feel dizzy? lightheaded? Low energy?
- Savor your food by chewing slowly and pausing between bites.
- Consciously see, hear, feel, and taste each bite of food.
- Chew your food thoroughly.
- Put down your fork/spoon in between each bite.
- Intentionally breath in and out after each bite.
- Take time to drink water.
- Consider every aspect of your food and how it ended up on your plate:
- Where did it come from?
- Who planted the seeds?
- Who harvested the ingredients?
- Who stocked the shelves at the grocery store?
- Who prepared the meal?
- Was it a family recipe?
- Express gratitude and appreciation for the time and effort spent on cultivating and producing the food you consume.