Mindful eating is about having an awareness of the foods your body consumes. It is about knowing what you are putting into your body, being conscious of the eating experience. mindful.org says that a way to practice mindful eating is “to listen to your body and stopping when full.” Essentials To A Journey agrees with this way of practicing mindful eating. The reason ETAJ agrees with this phenomenon is, when you do not listen to your body and you over indulge you come to find that you lack a sense of self-control. To assist you with reassuring your sense of self-control, or to start practicing self-control, below are ideas that you can use to assist you further during mindful eating practices. With these practices, you will come to find that mindful eating yield results in changing your life.
Reading the Labels
Get yourself in the habit of reading food labels when you are in the grocery store. When you take the time to read what is in your food you are creating awareness around your diet, you begin to mindfully eat. For example, if you start to notice ingredients you are unfamiliar with, do some research to find out what the ingredients are. Keeping a record of what ingredients are in your food shows that you are paying attention, and mindful about what you are consuming.
Home Cooked Meals
Eating from home has many benefits. Some benefits are, it can be financially rewarding, and you know exactly what is going into your food; into your body. When you cook at home you are emerging yourself in the experience of cooking. You allow yourself to be present for the meals you cook. Cooking from home is a mindful eating practice, which also helps to develop a sense of confidence around your skill level of cooking. For example, with cooking from home you may start to notice that you are great at putting together specific dishes, ultimately changing the way you view the cooking experience.
Switch It Up
What this means is that every once in a while switch up your diet routine. For example, if you are use to eating processed foods often, try adding more salads and fruit bowls to your diet routine. Basically, whatever you are doing now challenge yourself to do something different, while being supportive of your diet. Switching up your eating habits is a way you consciously connect yourself to the food you consume. For example, planning out your meals, and doing some research on the ingredients. Switching it up shows that you are not on auto pilot when it comes to the food you eat, but you have created a sense of awareness around your daily eating routine.
Let Go of Packaged Foods for Whole Foods
A great way to practice mindfulness that will change your life is to let go of packaged foods for whole foods. Whole foods are foods that are grown from the earth that you can use to prepare in dishes so, they haven’t been processed. This does not have to be something that you commit to forever however, a couple of times per month will suffice. When you take on this whole foods approach you are being mindful of the planet, the environment around you. For example, cutting back on cows milk supports the way of life for a mother cow and her calf. This type of eating changes your life, and you are also supporting the lives of others.
Snack Healthy
Snacking healthy is about eating foods that are supportive of your physical wellness. Try snacking on foods that support your ability to get things done for example, fruits, veggies, and nuts. When you plan out your snack meals you leave less room to go out and purchase processed foods, and foods that weigh you down. Your mind is less occupied with unhealthy snacks and more consumed with foods that energize you. Healthy snaking is a way of mindful eating that will support your health, and weight goals while you are facilitating the necessary life changes.
Eat Slowly
Eating slowly has many health benefits. health.harvard.edu stated, “people who are trying to lose weight may want to start by chewing more slowly. In that way, they allow themselves enough time to experience pleasure and satiety.” For example, whenever I eat too fast I always feel sick after. So, it is worth considering trying to eat slowly as a part of your mindful eating experience.
In conclusion, mindful eating is a part of mindful practice, awareness. Implementing one of these eating ideas is an essential step towards changing your life. I hope this will be of great assistance to you along your conscious eating journey, something you will be able to look back on to help you in your time of need.
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