Do you ever find yourself snacking when you are not truly hungry, or continuing to eat even when you know you are completely full?
After a long and stressful day, do you tend to binge on snacks or graze endlessly without paying attention to if you are hungry or satisfied?
You are not alone! Different situations and varying emotions lead us all to eat when we are not truly hungry. Apart from physical hunger, various factors contribute to our eating habits such as stress, restriction, unbalanced meals, boredom, fatigue, cravings, habit, environment, self-discipline, and culture. Although it would be ideal if true hunger always guided our eating choices, it doesn’t always happen that way- and that’s okay!
In order to reach your health and nutrition goals, the first crucial step is to become aware of the different factors that influence your eating habits so you can begin to make intentional food choices. The best way to dive deep into what guides your food choices is by simply practicing mindfulness.
What is Mindfulness and Mindful Eating?
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to your physical senses, thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns in a non-judgmental and curious way. Mindful eating can enhance your enjoyment of food, as well as help you understand what thoughts, habits, or feelings frequently go along with your food choices.
This awareness can also help you identify what may be holding you back from achieving balance in your eating decisions. Practicing mindfulness has also been found to reduce stress levels, which in turn helps keep hunger and satiety hormones (grehlin and leptin) in healthy balance so we can be aware of our true hunger signals. Mindful eating can be performed as a meditative practice, but it can also be used as a practical check-in around meal times.
Here are 3 practical ways to practice mindful eating:
1. Check In With Yourself
Try to think about the following, in a compassionate manner before, during, and after meals:
–What are you choosing to eat? Bring awareness to the types of foods you are choosing to see if it will give you the sustenance that you need.
–Why are you eating? Are you physically hungry, or are you bored, tired, anxious, eating in a social setting, or feeding a craving? Do you truly want the food in front of you or are you just eating because it’s there?
–How do you feel during and after eating? Try to bring attention to the pace at which you eat, how long you feel satisfied for, if you feel overly full, your energy levels, and emotions after eating.
–Where and when are you eating? Are you calmly sitting at the table or grabbing something to eat while running out of the house? Do you notice yourself eating more frequently at certain times of the day more than other times?
Remember, the purpose of this exercise is not to judge or criticize yourself based on your answers, but to bring awareness to what guides your choices so you can notice patterns in your eating habits. Once you are aware of these patterns, you can adjust and align your habits to match up with your goals.
2. Slow Down and Be Present
While eating, your body suppresses the hunger hormone Grehlin and releases the satiety hormone Leptin, which relays to your brain when you are full. It can take around 20 minutes for satiety hormones to reach the brain after we’re fully satiated. Eating at a slower pace can help give these signals time to reach your brain, which can help prevent overeating past the point of fullness. Eating at a slower pace and chewing food thoroughly also allows your gastrointestinal tract to prepare to metabolize the meal or snack you are eating so you can absorb food and nutrients properly. Slowing down will give you more time to enjoy your meal, and to savor the sensory qualities of your food.
You can use the following tips to slow down your eating:
-Before taking your first bite, pause and take a deep breath.
-Be sure to finish chewing and swallowing your food before taking the next bite.
-Take smaller bites.
-Notice the flavor, texture, and aroma of your food.
-Avoid distracted eating.
3. Create a Distraction-Free Environment
If you think about it, there are billions of different stimuli tickling our senses and competing for our attention all the time. Right now, your eyes are working to look at your laptop. There also might be someone else in the room that is making noise, or even a smell in the air that is making you hungry. Paying close attention to these senses – sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste – can give you the ability to slow down and focus on yourself. If you are in a distracting environment, it can be more difficult to focus on the sensory qualities of an eating experience. Next time you sit down for a meal, try to put your phone away, turn off the TV, and sit in a calm place. Paying close attention to your senses while eating will help you cultivate a more positive experience with food for ultimate satisfaction.
By practicing mindfulness, you can develop an awareness of your recurrent patterns and emotions surrounding eating, and how these factors affect your ability to reach your health and nutrition goals.
