Do you have the habit of gobbling down whatever you come across? Or do you indulge in snacking while binge-watching? Then it’s high time you start practicing mindful eating.
Too much of anything is not suitable for the body. The same is especially true with food. Having excess food either because of its taste or because you feel like eating is not good for your body. Thus, striking a balance between your body’s requirements and what you eat is highly essential.
What is Mindful eating?
Mindful eating means being mindful while having food, i.e. paying close attention to what and how much you eat. This is based on the Buddhist concept of mindfulness. According to this concept, you should pay full attention to the physical cue when eating, the food taste, and your mental condition.
Mindful eating generally involves the following
- Clearly concentrate on your physical condition and stop eating when you are half full.
- Eating slowly without any distractions.
- Clearly engaging with the different senses while eating, like the taste, color, smell, and texture of the food.
- Distinguishing true hunger from non-hunger triggers and eating only when you feel true hunger.
- Clearly observing the result food has on your mental and physical condition.
What are the Benefits of Mindful Eating?
● Helps in weight loss
When you practice mindful eating, you tend to stop eating when you are full. Thus, your body takes in only the required amount of food. As a result, there is no extra fat deposit in the body. In the long run, this helps to reduce weight.
Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness in eating helps reduce weight even without counting the calorie intake.
● Helps reduce stress
Stress is caused by a hormone called cortisol. When your body feels stressed, it produces a large amount of cortisol to fight stress. When you practice mindful eating, it helps keep the cortisol at a low level. This, in turn, helps control stress.
● Helps in better digestion
The digestion is influenced not only by the food we eat but also by how we eat it. Eating a lot of food without considering your hunger can affect the proper digestion of food. When you practice mindful eating, only the required amount of food goes in. This aids in better digestion.
● Experience better satisfaction with food
When you practice mindful eating, you enjoy its taste, flavor, and texture. Thus, you can enjoy the food and get better satisfaction from it. In due course, this helps you to maintain a balanced diet.
How to practice mindful eating?
- Instead of gobbling down food, you should eat slowly, taking your own time. In fact, you can set a timer to practice this.
- It is a common practice to be hooked to a device while having food. You should keep all devices away and concentrate only on the food.
- While eating, you should chew slowly and savor every bite. This lets you enjoy the food.
Conclusion
Mindful eating is highly beneficial for both your physical and mental well-being. However, practicing mindful eating is not an easy task. It requires a lot of dedication and effort from your end. But the end result can definitely improve your well-being.
