Mindful Eating- This Is The Only Secret To Healthy Life

What is Mindful Eating? 

Your body manifests not just your well being but your entire family’s as well. Once you start practicing a healthy lifestyle, you will automatically have an impact on people around you be it mentally or physically. Your health is family health! 

Mindful eating is not always about eating the right food or counting your calories while eating, rather it’s about focusing on all your senses and being present at the time of eating. 

In other words it is a stepwise process of practicing both the physical and emotional aspects of eating. Many of us in our busy lives manage to eat while driving or at the desk in front of a computer screen, while working or on the couch while watching tv which is wrong and is a mindless eating habit. 

How Do You Practice Mindful Eating? / Mindful Eating Techniques:

1. Tune into your hunger
2. Eat slowly, without any distractions
3. Eating on time
4. Chewing well and not rushing while eating
5. Love and pay attention to what you are eating
6. Appreciating your food
7. Drinking lots of water
8. Eating in silence
9. No multitasking while eating
10. Sitting on a table and eating
11. Enjoying the experience of eating
12. Stop eating when you’re full

The Do’s and Don’ts (mindful eating vs mindless eating):  

1. Do’s: Listening to your body and stopping when your stomach is full.

Don’ts: Eating past full and ignoring your body’s signal.

2. Do’s: Eating when our body tells us to eat (i.e.. energy low, stomach growling).

Don’ts: Eating when emotions tell us to eat (i.e.. sad, lonely or bored).

3. Do’s: Eating food that is nutritionally healthy. 

Don’ts: Eating food that is emotionally comforting.

4. Do’s: Thinking about why you want to eat.

Don’ts: Just eating without thinking about it.

5. Do’s:  Knowing the difference between physical hunger and head hunger.

Don’ts: Just eating whenever you “feel” like it. 

6. Do’s: Thinking about where your food comes from.

Don’ts: Not thinking about where your food comes from. 

7. Do’s: Taking time over your meal.

Don’ts: Eating food in a hurry. 

8. Do’s: Sitting on a table and eating.

Don’ts: Do not stand and eat.

9. Do’s: Focusing all your attention on your food and the experience of eating.

Don’ts: Eating on autopilot or while multitasking (driving, reading, working, watching tv etc.).

Mindful Eating Benefits: 

• Mindful eating has the capacity to reduce depression, anxiety, faulty eating habits, food cravings, eating disorders and weight management. 
• Effective to control type-2 diabetes. 
• It cures eating disorders and helps prevent overeating and emotional eating without causing anorexia.
• It is a powerful tool to regain control of your eating.
• Helps in easy digestion. 
• Makes you enjoy the food you eat and improves your relationship with food. 
• Can help manage hunger and achieve desired portion control.
• It helps in losing weight and reduces your body mass index (BMI).

Mindful eating is no longer a secret! Mindful eating is nothing but the intentional effort of knowing what’s in your food and when and how to eat. We are what we eat, give mindful eating a try and see the difference in your lifestyle. 

Disclaimer: 

It’s important that people dealing with eating disorders should first consult with a healthcare professional or a nutritionist before incorporating mindful eating as a part of a broader strategy, treatment or changing your diet.