Eleven Mindful Ways to an Easy, Healthy Relationship with Food
When faced with a barrage of information about how, what, and when to eat, do you ever find yourself overwhelmed and confused? While there is a great deal of good advice available about nutrition, the essence of our relationship with food is not only about what we eat, but how we eat it. Most of us have had the experience of eating mindlessly—having a bowl of popcorn in front of a good movie, surprised to see the bowl empty at some point—unaware of having eaten a mouthful.
Our relationship with food is complex; it takes us back to our earliest experiences of connecting with our caregivers—to our earliest experiences of being loved and cared for. As such, it is not surprising that most people have some “issues” with food and eating. That is, some underlying emotional “stuff” that can get kicked-up and acted-out by simply eating.
Eating mindfully can help us to slow down and really pay attention to how we feed ourselves and how we nurture ourselves. Mindful eating isn’t about uncovering a “story” about your history with food, rather it is a way to help us disengage from our habitual, and perhaps not-so-healthy, ways of eating (relating to food), so that we have a more harmonious relationship with food. Perhaps more importantly, mindful eating is a practice of being present with ourselves while eating in a non-judgmental manner. When we eat with awareness, we experience greater pleasure from food, and become more aware of what and how much food our body really needs.
1. Slow down. Slowing down will likely increase your awareness when you are eating. One simple way to do this is to put down your fork in between bites. It takes the body about twenty minutes to register fullness, so slowing down makes it likely we will recognize our body’s signals of feeling full.
2. Open your senses fully. Slowing down is a great first step, but by itself, is not sufficient to change mindless eating. You must also pay attention to what you are eating when you are eating. So, as you slow down really feel the flavors and textures as they move through your mouth and tongue. Notice the different taste-elements of the food. Also sense your food through your eyes before you eat it. When you are eating, pay attention to your food as if you were listening to a good friend. Feel the place of connection between your body and the food.
3. Take a moment or two before you eat and notice your body. From where is the desire to eat coming? From your mouth, body, eyes, thoughts, feelings (your heart perhaps)? There is a saying from the East that the best spice is hunger: food tastes better when we are truly hungry, when our bodies really need to be refueled.
4. Chew your food thoroughly. The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system. Chewing thoroughly will assist with digestion, and it helps us to slow down and lengthen our experience of the food.
5. Eat food that you really enjoy eating. Notice what flavors and textures bring you pleasure. When you slow down and really pay attention to your food, you might find you get bored of certain flavors after a while. The sensors on the tongue become desensitized after about four or five bites; but, you have to be paying attention, and not mindlessly eating, to notice this change in sensory input.
6. Be mindful of environmental triggers to eating. Notice if there are situations in which you tend to eat more habitually, and not when you are truly physically hungry. Examples might be when the T.V. is on, when you are alone, in the car, at parties, with a certain person, traveling, or when food is available and in your eyesight. Know your triggers, and avoid eating under those conditions.
7. Be mindful of inner triggers to eating. Notice if there are certain feelings or inner states that trigger mindless eating. Learn to pay attention to your feelings and tend to them rather than using food to avoid feeling them. Examples might be feeling angry, bored, overwhelmed, tired, lonely, sad, or frustrated. Again, know your triggers, and try to avoid eating at those times.
8. Notice when you already eat mindfully. Oftentimes when we go about making a change, we forget to notice when we are already engaging in the behavior we desire. Are there times when you really enjoy your food, eat with your true hunger, and stay in the moment when eating?
9. Practice deep mindful breaths. Take deep breaths before you eat and in between bites. This will help to slow you down, relax your body, calm your mind, and help you to be more aware and in the moment.
10. Say a prayer and/or set an intention before eating. Offering gratitude for the gift of food is a great way to shift your mood, and bring more good vibes to your table. I also like to set an intention for what the food will help me with. For example, “I feel this food helping me to feel stronger, stay healthy, and enjoy my life.”
11. Practice eating mindfully in silence one time per day. That is to give it your full attention without other distractions—including casual conversations and reading magazines. Though it’s probably not a reasonable goal to never do anything else when you eat other than eat, try it just one time per day—even with a small snack.
Copywright 2010 Tulasi Jordan, LCSW
Our relationship with food is complex; it takes us back to our earliest experiences of connecting with our caregivers—to our earliest experiences of being loved and cared for. As such, it is not surprising that most people have some “issues” with food and eating. That is, some underlying emotional “stuff” that can get kicked-up and acted-out by simply eating.
Eating mindfully can help us to slow down and really pay attention to how we feed ourselves and how we nurture ourselves. Mindful eating isn’t about uncovering a “story” about your history with food, rather it is a way to help us disengage from our habitual, and perhaps not-so-healthy, ways of eating (relating to food), so that we have a more harmonious relationship with food. Perhaps more importantly, mindful eating is a practice of being present with ourselves while eating in a non-judgmental manner. When we eat with awareness, we experience greater pleasure from food, and become more aware of what and how much food our body really needs.
1. Slow down. Slowing down will likely increase your awareness when you are eating. One simple way to do this is to put down your fork in between bites. It takes the body about twenty minutes to register fullness, so slowing down makes it likely we will recognize our body’s signals of feeling full.
2. Open your senses fully. Slowing down is a great first step, but by itself, is not sufficient to change mindless eating. You must also pay attention to what you are eating when you are eating. So, as you slow down really feel the flavors and textures as they move through your mouth and tongue. Notice the different taste-elements of the food. Also sense your food through your eyes before you eat it. When you are eating, pay attention to your food as if you were listening to a good friend. Feel the place of connection between your body and the food.
3. Take a moment or two before you eat and notice your body. From where is the desire to eat coming? From your mouth, body, eyes, thoughts, feelings (your heart perhaps)? There is a saying from the East that the best spice is hunger: food tastes better when we are truly hungry, when our bodies really need to be refueled.
4. Chew your food thoroughly. The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system. Chewing thoroughly will assist with digestion, and it helps us to slow down and lengthen our experience of the food.
5. Eat food that you really enjoy eating. Notice what flavors and textures bring you pleasure. When you slow down and really pay attention to your food, you might find you get bored of certain flavors after a while. The sensors on the tongue become desensitized after about four or five bites; but, you have to be paying attention, and not mindlessly eating, to notice this change in sensory input.
6. Be mindful of environmental triggers to eating. Notice if there are situations in which you tend to eat more habitually, and not when you are truly physically hungry. Examples might be when the T.V. is on, when you are alone, in the car, at parties, with a certain person, traveling, or when food is available and in your eyesight. Know your triggers, and avoid eating under those conditions.
7. Be mindful of inner triggers to eating. Notice if there are certain feelings or inner states that trigger mindless eating. Learn to pay attention to your feelings and tend to them rather than using food to avoid feeling them. Examples might be feeling angry, bored, overwhelmed, tired, lonely, sad, or frustrated. Again, know your triggers, and try to avoid eating at those times.
8. Notice when you already eat mindfully. Oftentimes when we go about making a change, we forget to notice when we are already engaging in the behavior we desire. Are there times when you really enjoy your food, eat with your true hunger, and stay in the moment when eating?
9. Practice deep mindful breaths. Take deep breaths before you eat and in between bites. This will help to slow you down, relax your body, calm your mind, and help you to be more aware and in the moment.
10. Say a prayer and/or set an intention before eating. Offering gratitude for the gift of food is a great way to shift your mood, and bring more good vibes to your table. I also like to set an intention for what the food will help me with. For example, “I feel this food helping me to feel stronger, stay healthy, and enjoy my life.”
11. Practice eating mindfully in silence one time per day. That is to give it your full attention without other distractions—including casual conversations and reading magazines. Though it’s probably not a reasonable goal to never do anything else when you eat other than eat, try it just one time per day—even with a small snack.
Copywright 2010 Tulasi Jordan, LCSW