Mindful Eating: What is it and how can you do it?

Mindful Eating is a term which has gained a fair amount of media coverage recently...

It’s also quickly being thrown around without really being understood. So, in this article we’ve broken down what mindful eating is, why it’s important and how you can start to embrace it a little more. Eating mindfully is allowing an open-minded awareness of how the food we choose to eat affects one’s body, mind and feelings.

We’ve all been guilty on working through lunch and not even noticing that we finished the last bite. Eating mindlessly is when we eat whilst distracted and we’re not aware of the food we’re shovelling down. Mindless eating can impair the body’s ability to digest food properly.

Digestion starts long before you put the first bite into your mouth. The smells, the thoughts and the food preparation helps to stimulate the production of amylase in the mouth and digestive enzymes to help breakdown the food. This is known as the cephalic phase of feeding and it’s a crucial part to get the brain and the digestive system all on the same page.

When you eat mindlessly you’re much more likely to over eat as it takes longer for the brain to identify that you’re full. You’re also less likely to feel as satisfied from your food so you end up hunting for more which might not help when it comes to weight management.

The other issue with eating mindlessly is that there’s an increased risk that you won’t be absorbing nutrients as well if your digestive tract isn’t being as affective as it should be. So how can you start focusing more on what you’re eating? Below we’ve listed our top 3 tips when it comes to eating more mindfully...

Remove distractions

TV, social media, phones, magazines, newspapers etc. are all huge distractions when it comes to eating mindlessly.

Focus 

Focus on the textures, flavours, aromas, any memories you might have when you think about that food. How it’s affecting the way you feel.

Stick to one eating place in the home 

When we tend to eat in every room we’re much more likely to be distracted and eat more mindlessly. Stick to one room of your living space to help you associate that spot with food and avoid eating mindlessly elsewhere. Of course when you’re outside the home it can be a bit more difficult. 

Bonus tip: STOP! 

It’s too normal to be working through lunch or on your way to a meeting. Start looking after yourself and putting time in to eat lunch (without any distractions). This can also help you to control stress throughout the day as you can take a step back and some time for yourself. There you have our top tips on mindful eating. We urge you all to eat more mindfully and start to notice how the food you’re eating really makes you feel!

To help reduce stress and time as a barrier to mindful eating check out ours meals here.