Cultivate Mindful Eating

If you are finding healthy eating to be a challenge, you are not alone! To make it easier, try slowing down during meals to become mindful.  Mindful of what, you ask?  Mindful of what you are putting on your plate and in to your body throughout each day.  In doing so, you will find your meals to be a stress reliever instead of a “stressor” and you may even enjoy the time-out during a busy day!  A few mindful eating tips:

Gratitude

When sitting down for a meal, take time to appreciate the food you are about to eat.  If you focus the attention on your meal, you can bring awareness and gratitude.  Take the time to give thanks – not everyone has food on their tables and we should be thankful to have healthy meals.

Taste & Chew

In order to enjoy your food with gratitude, it also requires taking the time to taste each and every bite. You may not realize it, but digestion begins in the mouth not the stomach.  Two digestive enzymes, amalyse  and lipase, are found in saliva – they are not available anywhere else in your digestive system!  These enzymes begin the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats while chewing stimulates the “go” trigger, producing digestive enzymes in the stomach.  As you chew and begin to digest your food, notice all the tastes and textures which can make chewing a mindful experience.

Put the Fork Down!

Try this experiment and begin to put your folk down between bites.  It sounds funny, but we are so used to eating fast that it seems like you should have something in your hand at all times.  Be a rebel and stop!  If you take the time to pause between bites, you will give your brain a chance to catch up with what is in your stomach  - your brain will tell you when you are full.  Halfway through your plate of food, check in ask yourself, "Are you still hungry.?' If you are, go ahead and eat, if not, you will know exactly when your body has had enough food.  Not overeating means you’ll be taking in less calories.  We all know that translates to inches lost!
 

Finish Last

Have you ever felt like you are the first or last person to finish a meal?  See if you can be the last one at the table to finish. By doing this, it makes eating slow fun and creates mindfulness. This is a fun way to make mindful eating part or your daily life.

For more information, check out the Principles of Mindful Eating  Print out a copy and share it with friends and family!

Keep your body moving, nourish it and remember, “Healthy is a Lifestyle!”