MINDFUL EATING
Mindfulness means to increase one’s awareness of his or her own physical, cognitive, and emotional state, as well as the environment and events he or she is experiencing in the present moment. Mindfulness is a non-judgemental awareness of the present moment, and it helps us shift our relationships to things around us. It doesn’t change the external circumstance. It just changes how I approach it and interpret it. This is true for people and for food.
For many of us, our busy daily lives often make mealtimes rushed affairs. We find ourselves eating in the car commuting to work, at the desk in front of a computer screen, or parked on the couch watching TV. In all these scenarios, it is very difficult to pay attention to what you are eating because you are pretty much paying attention to everything else. We eat mindlessly, shovelling food down regardless of whether we’re still hungry or not. In fact, we often eat for reasons other than hunger—to satisfy emotional needs, to relieve stress, or cope with unpleasant emotions such as sadness, anxiety, loneliness, or boredom. This is nothing but mindless eating.
Mindless eating can occur simply any time that the brain is distracted, and the person is not aware of what or how much food he or she is consuming.
Reasons for mindless eating….
Distracted Eating-Mindless eating easily occurs when the mind is side tracked by television, conversations, and other distractions.
Disinhibition-This is simply just eating when you’re not hungry. Perhaps a sense of boredom has set in and eating food is going to give you something to do
Lack of Awareness-It is easy to not even realize how much food you’re consuming, especially when eating directly out of the bag or not measuring portion sizes.
Emotional Eating-Emotions can play a large role with mindless eating. Some individuals may turn to food as a sense of comfort when sad or may potentially eat when bored. Pay attention to your emotions and try not to feed them.
External Reasons-An outside source, such as food advertisements or television commercials, may contribute to mindless eating. Have you ever seen a billboard of a juicy burger and then began to crave it?
Mindless eating isn’t a bad thing if we look at it from the perspective of a hunter-gatherer. (a member of a nomadic people who live chiefly by hunting and fishing and harvesting wild food.) Eating mindlessly was crucial for them, because they had to look out for potential threats while they were eating. The problem today is there are no threats to look out for. Also, hunter-gatherers used to have a shortage of food or availability was variable. Today, we have an abundance of food ALL THE TIME. Instead, we’re swiping through our phones and watching the latest videos.
The combination of the food today we are eating, and mindless eating can result in
Overeating
Malnutrition
Low energy
Physical and emotional addiction to food
Now, there’s a way to change this, and it’s mindful eating.
Mindful eating is just the opposite of this kind of unhealthy “mindless” eating.
Mindful eating is a technique for cultivating a more positive relationship between food and eating. It is also a type of mindfulness that is used to focus on the present moment during mealtimes. Individuals can learn to tune into their body's hunger and fullness cues by taking their time to focus on the sensations of eating. That is, it entails paying attention to the food eaten, the colour, smell, and texture of the ingredients, as well as the sensations of chewing and swallowing. Some people are also aware of their hunger and cravings, and how they feel physically and emotionally. This increased awareness can then be used to make better decisions about what, when, and how much to eat. Mindful eating has shown to improve weight loss outcomes and digestion, as well as to reduce stress and disordered eating behaviours.
Mindful eating isn't about being perfect, always eating the right foods, or never eating on the go again. And it's not about imposing strict rules on how many calories you can consume or which foods you must include or exclude from your diet. Relatively, it is about focusing all your senses and being present while shopping for, cooking, serving, and eating food.