Mind full vs. Mindful eating

Mind full or Mindfulness.

When you eat is your mind full or are you practicing mindfulness? In my practice I find that a lot of us have lost our way around food and nutrition. Either we have no idea what to eat and have given up (eating mindlessly) or we are labeling foods as good or bad and looking for the next diet, miracle pill, or social media influencer to lead us to prefect nutrition and health (mind full). This rollercoaster is exhausting, and stressful, and not self-serving. Instead, I recommend my clients start by being mindful while they eat. Three simple things can help you be more mindful while eating.

1. Discover what is Mindfulness:

   1. Paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and emotions without judgement

   2. Notice your thoughts

   3. Slow down

   4. Notice your reactions to your thoughts

   5. Create a space to acknowledge those emotions

2. How does this relate to eating?

   • Are you making conscious food choices or just grabbing?

   • Use your senses; what is the taste, temperature, smell, and texture of your food?

   • Are you aware of the difference between physical and psychological hunger and satiety cues?

   • Are you eating healthfully in response to your hunger cues, if you even have them?

   • Can you observe your thoughts around the food you did or didn’t eat in a non-judgmental way?

3. What is mindless eating?

   • Eating without intention.

     • Sitting in front of the TV

     • Scrolling through your phone

     • Popcorn at the movie theater

   • Eating without awareness.

     • Grabbing a handful of nuts as you walk by

     • Grazing the buffet at a party

     • Shoving anything in your mouth as you run out the door

     • Driving and eating

   Being mindful takes time, practice, and patience. I recommend starting with one item above to experiment with. If you need help please consider a free phone consultation to determine if I would be a good fit for you.