Written by Sportify Admin
Mindful eating is the practice of paying attention to what you eat and drink in the present moment. It entails paying attention to how the meal makes you feel as well as the signals your body provides regarding flavor, contentment, and fullness. Mindful eating asks you to just identify and accept your feelings, thoughts, and body sensations rather than judging them. It might include the purchasing, cooking, and serving of food, as well as the consumption of it.
Benefits
Eating mindfully can assist you in:
- Feel fuller faster and consume less food.
- Slower eating will help your digestion.
- Increase your enjoyment of eating by learning to slow down and completely savor your meals and snacks.
- Slow down and take a pause from your day's activities to relieve tension and anxiety.
- Examine and alter your connection with food, for example, by assisting you in recognizing when you resort to food for reasons other than hunger.
- Make better meal choices by concentrating on how different type of food leaves you feeling after you consume it.
| Mindless Eating | Mindfully Eating |
|---|---|
| Eating on autopilot or while multitasking is considered mindless eating (driving, working, reading, watching TV, etc) | Concentrating all of your focus on your meal and snacking experience |
| Eating to fill an emotional gap (for example, because you're anxious, lonely, unhappy, or bored) | Only eating to fulfill bodily hunger |
| Consuming junk food or comfort food | Consuming nutritious meals and snacks |
| Food is consumed as rapidly as possible | Slowly chewing and enjoying each bite |
| Ignoring your body's cues of fullness and eating until all the food is gone | Listening to your body's cues and just eating till you're full. |
Tips to apply Mindful eating in the best way possible
- Explore your relationship with food. We are all aware that we should consume less sugar and processed meals and consume more fruits and vegetables.However, by eating consciously and being more in tune with your body, you may begin to sense how different meals influence you physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
- Trying out different food pairings. When you can link your food choices to your physical and emotional well-being, choosing food becomes a question of listening to your own body. For example, you may notice that eating carbs causes you to feel sluggish and tired for several hours. As a result, carbohydrate-heavy meals become something you attempt to avoid.
- Eating to fill a void versus eating to enhance health. While eating does have an effect on how you feel, how you feel also has an impact on what, when, and how much you eat. Many of us mistake feelings of worry, stress, loneliness, or boredom for hunger pangs and use food to cope with these emotions. The discomfort you experience serves as a reminder that you desire and need something to fill a hole in your life.
- Before you eat, take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing can frequently assist to calm appetite, especially when the hunger isn't for food. Oxygen fuels the body, and deep breathing can boost your energy and sense of well-being. When you breathe deeply, you relax and reduce stress and anxiety, both of which are major mimics of fake hunger.