Some of us have an unhealthy relationship with food. Mindful eating is a skill that can help you create a better relationship. Mindfulness is the act of deliberately paying attention to what is happening in the present moment in a non-judgmental way. This involves being aware of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations and practicing acceptance of all these. Mindfulness allows us to be aware of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting, and offers the possibility of freeing ourselves from these habits if they do not serve us.
Mindful Eating is:
- Respecting your own inner wisdom during food selection and preparation
- Using all your senses in choosing to eat food that is both satisfying to you and nourishing to your body
- Accepting physical responses to food without judgment
- Becoming aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin and end eating
- Accepting that each person’s eating experience is unique, and there is no right or wrong way to eat
- Taking time to plan meals that support your health and well-being
- Eating at a time and place that allows you to focus only on the food while eating
- Eating on a schedule that respects your body’s needs and provides food regularly
- Recognizing foods that don’t serve your body and not judging yourself when these foods are eaten, thinking “I will learn from these experiences and continue to do better”
- Recognizing emotions before eating
- Recognizing the value and nourishment in each bite you are providing yourself
- Noticing habits or conditioning from childhood that no longer serve you, and releasing these
- Allowing yourself to enjoy the foods you love in a balanced and health-supportive way
Mindful eating is the
opposite of mindless eating, a practice that can lead to guilt, indigestion,
and struggle.
Mindless Eating is…
- Shopping when hungry and without a list
- Not planning meals, eating randomly and compulsively, skipping meals
- Relying primarily on take out, vending machines, and ready-prepared foods
- Eating on the run, while standing at the fridge, in the car, or while distracted (watching TV, working)
- Never anticipating food needs in advance; thinking of eating as a “nuisance”
- Eating only high calorie foods that are visible and accessible
- Swallowing food quickly
- Eating when emotionally upset; using food for stress relief, comfort, or to replace another desire
- Cleaning your plate without checking in with your hunger
- Eating only “favorite” foods regardless of nutrition Feeling guilty for slips and concluding that change is hopeless
- Forcing yourself to stick to a certain diet regardless of how your body feels
- Viewing healthy eating as a punishment and unhealthy foods as “rewards
Resources
Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays
Eat, Drink, and Be Mindful by Susan Albers
The
Center for Mindful Eating: www.thecenterformindfuleating.org
Adapted from BCNH
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