In modern society, people have limited time and often spend it eating, in front of the computer watching TV or even having a schedule for meals. Poor eating habits and deteriorated digestion, unhealthy attitudes towards it, and becoming sluggish in our daily activities for the rest of the day, can be expected. Now let me introduce mindful eating which helps to focus on dishes, pay attention to them, and enjoy them. In other words, when we pay more attention to what we are eating and how we are eating our food, we’re not just getting a better understanding of ourselves; we are getting better for ourselves. It’s worth learning what mindful eating actually is, its advantages, and how one can start using it.
What is Mindful Eating?
Taken in the narrow sense, mindful eating refers to paying attention during meals. It entails not only observing, but identifying, the characteristics of food, the sensory qualities of taste, smell, and touch, and recognizing the body’s feelings of hunger and fullness. It fosters patience and attentiveness in dining as it requires an individual to use all his / her sense organs in eating. But let me start by stating that mindful eating has nothing to do with dieting or counting calories; it’s all about being aware and being Intentional.
Benefits of Mindful Eating
Practicing mindful eating can lead to numerous benefits, including:
Improved Digestion
One can eat unconsciously which includes eating with a lot of giggling and sucking the juicy parts. This not only increases appetite but also facilitates digestion since just the chewing process makes you prepare your body for digestion.
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Better Portion Control
Unfortunately, when you are not mindful when you are eating you don’t manage to figure out if you are really hungry as opposed to mindlessly eating when you are stressed. It can assist you to scan again for satisfaction, thereby also preventing you from eating beyond your capacity and serving out healthy portions.
Enhanced Satisfaction
In this case, careful eating will make you enjoy the food better due to its better taste and texture. Whenever you take a meal with attitude, you will realize that it’s more satisfying to have small portions of food since you are really fortunate to be taking the food.
Reduced Emotional Eating
It is understandable that when people are upset or stressed they run to food for solace. Intuitive eating makes you alert yourself, and these alerts enable you to handle emotions without necessarily handling food. Such positive traits can result in better ways of how to deal with stress and other feelings.
Improved Overall Well-Being
Because of this, this approach to eating guarantees an upgraded mental health state, decreased levels of stress and anxiety regarding what and when one should consume, and better control over their meals.
Techniques for Practicing Mindful Eating
Ready to get started? Here are some simple techniques to incorporate mindful eating into your daily routine:
- Eliminate Distractions
- Engage Your Senses
- Chew Slowly and Thoroughly
- Pause and Reflect
- Practice Gratitude
- Listen to Your Body
- Start with Smaller Portions
Conclusion
Mindful eating is a soothing technique that can help to change your attitude toward it radically. Making food enjoyable requires you to take a step back and choose to chew slowly while breaking down any momentary distractions or switching off the distractions completely, thus enabling you to be in a position to fully appreciate the meal as the body breaks it down.
In society today where time and again activities tend to pull people in all directions, taking time to adopt the practice of mindful eating is a way forward to help not only the body but the mind as well as well. Next time you take your seat at a table with a meal, just go ahead and take a moment to breathe deeply and focus on the food and how it feels to eat it. It will serve as your body’s and mind’s reward!
