I confess, as much as I espouse healthy eating habits, I am guilty at times of eating too quickly, eating at my desk or worse, eating snacks out of a large bag! I even influence my family at the Dinner table to eat faster for fear that I may snatch some of their food. This is true, but I am aware that regularly engaging in these habits can negatively impact digestion, lead to undesired weight changes, and increased stress or anxiety. The solution to eradicating these habits may involve adopting a more mindful approach to eating. How you do anything can influence how you do everything. The practice of mindfulness has the power to impact all areas of life, by leading to increased appreciation and overall happiness. I’m ready!

What is mindfulness and how does it apply to eating? Mindfulness is based on the understanding that, when we are not paying attention to what we are experiencing, it is as if it does not exist. If you are distracted while eating ie: munching on popcorn at the movies, you are not really tasting the food. As a result, even though your stomach may be full, you continue to eat!

The essence of mindful eating is paying attention on purpose to the experience of eating without judgement. This is a fantastic strategy as the more you are present for the experience, the more satisfaction you will receive from it. The more we are able to quiet the critical voices in our head and adopt a more accepting dialogue it will become easier to maintain desired habits. Berating yourself after indulging in a treat only increases stress or guilt that may lead to more “treats” in an effort to feel better. Mindful eating practices can break you out of this destructive cycle and teaches you to listen to your internal voice telling you what you are truly hungry for. This ability of to use this inner wisdom has the capacity to transform your relationship with food.

Here are my top action steps that you can start today to adopt a more mindful approach to eating:

1. When you eat, eat! In other words, no distractions. Turn off the TV, don’t eat in the car or while using the computer or electronic devices.
2. Sit down when eating and make eating more ceremonial. Consider the colors of food. Ie.: instead of chicken, potatoes and cauliflower, choose salmon, spinach and brown rice.
3. Slow down and take time to really chew and taste your food.
4. Take a moment to contemplate what you are really hungry for.
5. Be aware of serving size and pay attention to when you feel full.

Finally, mindful eating will allow you take back control by shedding old bias’s and scripts to reveal authentic joy and pleasure that should be associated with eating.

If you want to know how a personalized plan could be the missing link in achieving your goals, please call now 941-685-8074 or click here to schedule a free 15 minute discovery call.