8 Tips To Add Mindfulness To Mealtime
Mindfulness has been a big buzz word in recent years. But how does it relate to eating? Mindful eating is based on the Buddhist concept of mindfulness. It’s a technique that helps you gain control over your eating habits. It can help with weight loss, reduce binge eating and improve overall health.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation—take the time and make the space to recognize your emotions and physical sensations. Mindful eating uses techniques to help you pay full attention to your experiences, cravings and physical cues. Here are 8 tips to get you started:
- 1. Eat slowly and without distraction
- 2. Listen to physical hunger cues and eat only until you’re full
- 3. Distinguish between true hunger and non-hunger triggers
- 4. Engage your senses by noticing colors, smells, sounds, textures and flavors
- 5. Learn to cope with guilt and anxiety about food
- 6. Eat to maintain overall health and well-being
- 7. Notice the effect food has on your feelings
- 8. Appreciate your food
These tips help you replace some of your more automatic thoughts with more conscious responses. An abundance of food choices and distractions shift attention away from the act of eating. Now more than ever, eating is done quickly and often in front of a screen. This can pose a problem: it can take your brain up to 20 minutes to realize you’re full.
Mindfulness helps you pay closer attention to physical hunger and fullness cues. Then you can distinguish between emotional and true, physical hunger. You can also increase your awareness of triggers that may make you want to eat. Recognizing your triggers gives you time and freedom to choose how to react.
If you’re looking to eat better, you can use telehealth services to speak with a registered dietician. They can evaluate your nutritional needs. You can also get resources like personalized diet plans and shopping guides.
