In this faced paced world, where multitasking is the norm, it is easy to get distracted while eating. Research has shown that being distracted during a meal both increases food intake during and after the meal. How often do you eat your food fast because you are thinking of what you are going to do next or in a hurry to get somewhere,, perhaps barely tasting what is on your plate?
There are several ways we eat mindlessly which have an impact on our health.
- Multitasking: Our society, which confuses multitasking with productivity, supports distracted eating. Maybe you watch TV or read a newspaper while you eat. Perhaps your focus is on your iPad or phone, totally engrossed in social media, and paying little attention to what you are actually eating.
- Eating too fast: When our attention is not on what we are eating, but rather diverted to another distraction, we tend to chew faster. Eating becomes a mechanical activity. We lose connection with the food in front of us, sometimes to avoid what we are feeling or the emotions that may arise while eating. We also tend to eat too much when we eat fast.
- Eating on the go: How often do you grab something to eat at a fast food restaurant, perhaps even using the drive through to save time, and then eat in the car while driving. Eating on the run relates to just putting something in your stomach to kill the hunger pangs without making a conscious food choice or even sitting down to taste your food.
- Lack of awareness of your emotions: Are you a person who eats to stop a feeling? If so, you may be confusing emotional pain with hunger. In this case, eating serves as a way to avoid or escape emotions. Eating is often influenced by emotional, social, and cognitive variables, rather than solely by physiological hunger.
- Lack of knowledge about the food you are eating: Because of such busy lifestyles, many individuals buy prepared meals or eat out in restaurants, having no idea of the ingredients in the food or the nutritional information that may be important to our health. When you eat out, do have any idea of the number of calories in the food you eat, the sodium content, or how many of the ingredients are artificial or GMO’s?
So, what is mindful eating? Mindful eating is the practice of bringing your full awareness to your experience of eating. By doing so, you can increase your enjoyment of what you are eating, feel satiated sooner, and really taste every bite you put into your mouth as you savor the flavors and textures of the food.
There are simple steps you can take to learn how to eat more mindfully.
Sit down and eat at a dining table, with others if possible.
Give thanks for the food before you take a bite. It didn’t just land on your plate. There are many people in the world who have so little food to eat, so being grateful for the food and appreciating all the steps it went through to get to your plate brings sanctity to the moment.Slow down and chew each mouthful. Digestion starts in the mouth so by chewing your food thoroughly, it takes some stress off your digestive tract. We begin to fell full about twenty minutes after we have eaten our meal. It takes that much time for the brain and stomach to agree that we are satiated.
Bring your awareness to each bite. Notice the variations in texture, flavor, and smell. Feel the sensation of swallowing a mouthful of food after you have chewed it. Engaging all our senses can make a meal more enjoyable. There are some meals that take hours or even days to prepare like Thanksgiving, and then it is gobbled up so quickly with little awareness of all the different flavors and textures in the meal.
Pay attention to the nutrition in the food you eat. What goes into the mouth is what the body must create new cells from. You can’t eat junk food and expect the body to make healthy cells and tissues from it.
Pay attention to your appetite. Are you really hungry or are you dehydrated? Do you need energy or are you trying to stuff down an emotion? Physical hunger is different from emotional hunger. Practicing mindful eating will help you distinguish between the two.
If you discover that you are emotional eating and want some support, I would be happy to help you. Feel free to contact me and we can talk more.
