Are you a mindful eater?
How often do you find yourself busily preparing dinner for the family while snacking? Or eating quickly while standing as you frantically try and get the kids out the door? Grabbing a quick bite while you are at work skipping your lunch break and sitting at your computer picking away at the food in front of you. Sitting on the couch in front of the TV mindlessly snacking while you watch your fave Netflix show…. the list goes on.
Gone are the days of sitting at a table for each meal among family and friends enjoying good conversation, while eating in a relaxed state of mind. Fast foods are the norm as are 1 minute video meals as everyone is so busy running around like chickens with their heads cut off! Multi-tasking is our new reality and the majority of people are disconnected to the world around them.
How can you purposely choose to reduce your anxiety, digest your food better and eat for complete nourishment of your body?
Here are 5 tips to begin to eat mindfully….
- SLOW DOWN -eating is not a race. Chew your food slowly and savor the flavors in your mouth. This will help with your digestion allowing less bloat and feelings of discomfort. Put your fork down between bites. Really mindfully experience each and every bite.
- ASK YOURSELF “AM I HUNGRY”? –to maintain a healthy weight we don’t want to be ingesting unnecessary empty calories that are not going to provide our body with the energy it needs. While in front of the TV do you really need that bag of potato chips? Watch your cues…do you eat out of boredom or for comfort frequently? Try and redirect yourself and stretch or do some yoga moves instead to get the release of serotonin (our feel good neurotransmitter).
- TURN OFF ELECTRONICS- turn off your notifications on your cell phone, shut off the television and step away from your computer. Go and sit without distractions if you are alone and focus solely on intentionally eating. Make each meal an experience separate from everything else that distracts you on a daily basis.
- CHOOSE HEALTHY NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS- really take the time to think about how you are nourishing your body. Choose foods that are going to provide you with energy, decrease your chances of heart disease and cancers and allow you to live a life full of vitality! This means ditching processed foods and focusing more on veggies and lean proteins. Try searching up new recipes to try or grab a copy of my 7 Day Clean Eating Meal Plan.
- SAY GRACE- taking the time to show gratitude for the food in front of you is incredibly important. Acknowledge the work that had to occur to put this food in front of you. Choose a grace to say what is most in line with your belief system, spirituality and/or religion. Even a simple “thank you” will do.
In our world so fast moving let’s make a conscious choice to at least slow down our consumption of food so that we can mindfully nourish our bodies and our minds.
If you would like a “jump start” to get you back on track for the next 30 days CLICK HERE.
