The Benefits Of Mindful Eating

For some people eating is a necessary chore that must be regularly completed in order to keep the body functioning. Other people consider eating to be an indulgent personal experience that is mostly a pleasure. No matter which view you have, eating is an activity that generally occurs three times a day (snacks and treats not included).

Established Eating Habits

Most people have developed eating habits that are now second nature. These habits unfortunately tend to be less than healthy, and can contribute to weight gain. Some people get lazy about the nutrients that they allow into their body, and become accustomed to a junk food diet.

On the whole, most people do not pay attention to what they eat and how they consume it. Being mindful and chewing food properly, and thinking about the flavors of the food, is not usually a consideration at mealtimes. If you want to take charge of how food affects your health and weight it is important to adopt a more mindful approach to eating. This doesn’t mean that you have to swap your favorite foods for a strict vegan or Paleo diet (unless you want to, of course). Mindful eating simply teaches you how appreciate food in a different and more beneficial way. When you eat in a mindful manner you no longer have to eat your food rapidly or for emotional comfort.

Mindful Eating

When you are eating food mindfully you eat with your entire focus on your food. This means that you don’t consume your lunch or dinner distracted by conversation or something you are watching on TV. Instead you adopt the Buddhist approach and turn all of your focus to the sustenance on your plate.

When you take a forkful of your favorite food, in a mindful way, you appreciate every detail of your food. The way that it smells, the texture, the color, the taste and the nutritional value of your meal is what you pay close attention to. On taking a mouthful you also learn to savor the experience by chewing food properly. This in turn re-educates your stomach, and you may find that you are fully satisfied eating a smaller portion.

Positive Benefits

Eating mindfully will help you control and stop your over eating and comfort eating habits. This will also help your weight management goals. When you regularly practice mindful eating you automatically know when you are genuinely hungry, and not simply craving food out of boredom or habit.

Eating food will become a real pleasure. Mindful eating teaches you how to really appreciate the food on your plate. Instead of mindlessly munching into a crisp and crunchy fresh apple, you will appreciate the appearance, the color, the smell and the taste. You will also learn to value how the fruit was grown and harvested for your consumption enjoyment. Mindful eating teaches you respect for all aspects of nutrition. When you eat in this appreciative way you also enjoy better digestion and improved health.

How To Eat Mindfully

1. Choose your favorite food. For your first mindful eating experience a fruit snack makes a great choice.
2. Examine the food. Take a proper look at the food you are about to eat. Appreciate its shape, color, smell etc.
3. Place your focus entirely on the food. If it helps imagine this item of food has hypnotized you, so that you are unable to be distracted by whatever else is going on around you.
4. Take a bite. Appreciate the texture and the taste of the fruit flesh in your mouth.
5. Eat slowly. Chew the food slowly so that you can savor every bite. Eat the food like time has no importance, or pretend you are taking part in the Slowest Eater In The World competition.
6. Give thanks. Once you have eaten your fruit or snack give thanks for the food you have enjoyed.
7. Eat mindfully from now on. Although it may require a little practice at the start, eating mindfully will quickly become your new healthy eating habit. You’ll start to see positive changes in the way that you think about food.
8. Experiment with food mindfulness. Expand your food mindfulness by taking the time to prepare your meals from scratch, whenever possible. Pay attention to the ingredients that you choose and how you cook. When you are a mindful cook every meal will be flavored with love.

To explore other ways in which you can be more mindful, call one of our psychic readers today.