6 Ways To Eat Mindfully

Donna SLam — 6 Ways To Eat Mindfully

Eat Mindfully

The first few bites are always the best, and after a few spoonfuls, your taste buds become less sensitized to the chemicals in food that make it taste so good. Never focus on quantity, instead on the quality of the food. Be mindful of each mouthful, and appreciate the flavors, aromas, and textures of the food.

This is mindful eating — simply eating with awareness.

How many times have you eaten and not even realized what you ate or better yet, how much? We all know that what we eat is important. But so is how we eat. In our world of multitasking, it’s easy to think about mealtimes as something to “fit in” to our schedules rather than taking the time to really enjoy our food. To achieve or maintain a healthy weight, or to improve your relationship with food, or if you just want to enjoy your food more, why not try to eat mindfully?

Get in Touch With Your Hunger Signals

• Be aware of why you are eating.
• Are you truly hungry or are you eating for emotional reasons, such as stress, boredom, or comfort?
• How hungry am I?

Use the “hunger scale” below to help rate your hunger before, during, and after your meal.

1. Starving, weak, dizzy
2. Very hungry, cranky, low energy, lots of stomach growling
3. Pretty hungry, stomach is growling a little
4. Starting to feel a little hungry
5. Satisfied, neither hungry nor full
6. A little full, pleasantly full
7. A little uncomfortable
8. Feeling stuffed
9. Very uncomfortable, stomach hurts
10. So full you feel sick

Ideally, you want to eat when your hunger is at a 3–4 (stomach growling/a little hungry) and stop when you are at a 5–6 (satisfied/pleasantly full).

As you eat, be aware of your fullness cues and stop eating when you feel satisfied (no longer hungry) — don’t worry if you have to leave food on your plate.

Use a visual cue to tell to assure yourself you’re no longer hungry — push away your plate; cover it with a napkin; clear the table; wrap up leftovers; brush your teeth or chew some gum.

Notice how you feel when you are finished eating. If you overate, note how uncomfortable you feel, physically and emotionally.

Avoid Distractions

Always try to have your meals sitting at a table, so that you can focus on the food in front of you. You can never feel satisfied when you eat standing up or stuffing your mouth as you walk out the door.

Some studies show that you eat more when you are doing something else, as your mind is focused on the activity rather than on the experience of eating.

Avoid multitasking while eating. No eating and watching TV, while sitting in front of your computer, or while working at your desk.

If eating without distractions is not possible for all meals, make it a point to enjoy at least one meal each day without doing anything else, except for conversation.

Use All Five Senses When You Eat

To practice mindful eating try to engage all of your senses:

• What does the food look like?
• What does it smell like?
• What does it feel like in your mouth?
• Can you hear it in your mouth? Yes, sometimes you can! Listen!
• What does it taste like?

Savor the food as you chew. Be “in the moment” when you eat, especially the first few bites of each meal. This will help you experience your first mindful meal.

The goal of mindful eating is to quiet your thoughts and to be present in the eating process. If you find your mind wandering, which it will do from time to time when you are eating alone, let those thoughts pass and try to return to the experience of eating.

Slowly Chew Each Mouthful

Enjoying leisurely meals gives your stomach time to signal to your brain that you are comfortably full. So put your fork down between bites, sip water, and enjoy the food and the conversation while you dine.

To help you chew slowly, why not try using the “20/20” rule? Chew each bite at least 20 times before swallowing and take at least 20 minutes to enjoy your meal. Why? Because it takes your stomach about 20 minutes to produce hormones that tell your brain that you are full. When you slow down, you give yourself more time to feel full. And this gives you a better chance to stop eating before you “get stuffed.”

Besides, chewing your food well helps you to digest your food better — which means less gas and bloating.

If you find it challenging to slow down your eating you may like to try one of the following:

• Set your fork down after each bite and do not pick it up until you have swallowed it all
• How many times do we find ourselves with the next bite “ready to go” before we are done swallowing?
• Eat with your non-dominant hand.
• Take time to enjoy conversations while you eat. Do not think you are in a race or need to “get this over with”. Try to be the last one to finish your meal. No, will not be called by the nickname, “Slowpoke”.
• Pause between bites and sip a glass of water or other calorie-free beverage.

In addition to slowing down your meal, you may find that adopting any of the above may help you feel fuller, and eat less.

Portion Control

Carefully, read the serving size on food labels to keep your portions in check. Often you may find you are eating several servings without realizing it.

Use smaller plates and bowls — a smaller salad plate that looks full is more satisfying than a larger dinner plate that looks half empty.

Keep in mind that the more food that is put in front of us the more we tend to eat. To avoid eating too much, try these portion control tips:

• Put your food on a plate or in a bowl instead of eating right out of the package.
• Plate your food at the stove instead of serving family-style on the table.
• When eating out, ask for a container with your meal so you can put half your entrée aside before you start eating.

When you eat with awareness you will find that smaller amounts of your favorite foods can be really satisfying. If you have a strong craving for a certain food, have a small serving (eat it mindfully to fully enjoy it) and move on!

Start Small And Be Realistic

Commit to focusing on mindful eating one meal each day that makes the most sense for you. Or, make it a goal to eat the first few bites of each meal with awareness.

Be realistic. Sometimes you will have to eat quickly or multitask during a meal. The point is to be aware of the how and the why of your eating.

Ask a family member or friend to learn mindful eating with you so you can share your experiences and support one another.

Remember, mindful eating takes practice! It will become easier the more often you do it.

To experience the difference that mindful eating can make, try eating the first half of your meal at a faster pace while doing another activity (such as watching television or sitting in front of the computer) and then eat the second half of your meal with awareness, using the techniques above. Compare these experiences for yourself.

Be proud to know that every time you eat mindfully, even if it’s for a few bites, you are making progress.

Bon appetite!

“Mindful eating is eating with intention while paying attention.” — Kati Konersman

This article was originally published on my site at https://donnapresents.com/6-ways-to-eat-mindfully/.

Meditation is a habit that may come easily to some. I have been meditating for over five years, but there were many days I found myself slipping. These days, not so much, not since I completed the no-cost Action Habits Challenge by Connie Ragen Green, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, independent publisher, and serial entrepreneur. You can check it out here.

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I’m Donna SLam, who loves to blog about how meditation brings self-compassion, peace of mind, and clarity to my life and others by sharing tips and strategies on how to live a fulling and purposeful life. I enjoy championing others to lead a healthy and happy life through meditation, walking, self-development, and spending time with loved ones.

Meditation is a habit that may come easily to some. I have been meditating for over five years, but there were many days I found myself slipping. These days, not so much, not since I’ve printed out and put on my vision board over my desk these Positive Mindset graphics from Alice Seba at Publish for Prosperity. You can get these graphics at no cost here.