Now this one should be the easiest one, but if you are anything like me, eating slowly does not come naturally. I grew up with a little brother and if you didn't eat fast you didn't eat, that's probably not the mindset I should have taken with me to adulthood but you can’t change the past! So, what IS mindful eating? Well, in layman's terms, mindful eating is listening to your body throughout your entire meal, eating food that is nutritionally healthy for you, and considering where your food comes from. Now trust me, I know that sounds like a load of bull-poopy but it makes the world of a difference when it comes to kicking bad eating habits.
So here are a few things you can do to start:
When you feel full STOP: It is incredibly easy to say to yourself “It’s so good, just ONE more bite” and totally ignore the signs your body is basically screaming at you. Now did you know that overeating is actually bad for your metabolism? It’s true! Overeating causes your metabolism to work harder than it has to in order to totally burn through those extra calories. You will probably notice that after you overeat you are a bit extra sweaty, warm and possibly even a little dizzy, that’s your metabolism letting you know it's
working hard!
Turn off electronics: Taking away all the major distractions from meal time makes it far easier to listen to your body and know when you are truly full. So put down that cell phone, turn off the tv and have a conversation with your body or whoever might be at the table with you!
Eating Consistent meals: So consistency is key, that’s how mindfulness is truly achieved and why it’s so difficult and sought after. Consistency in this case is referring to the way in which you have meals, meaning the place, time, and people you eat with. Ideally you have all three meals the same time and place every single day, that keeps your internal clock ticking and your body will be able to remind you when it's meal time. Now, having it at the same place every day is a pretty challenging task, so try to focus on the times being as consistent as possible.
Considering Where your food comes from: This one takes a few seconds of free thought, that is IT! Take a moment and look at the plate you have in front of you, hopefully you have a mix of good stuff like Greens, Whole grains, some protein. Now think about how food got to be on your plate. Someone planted those seeds, watered them, fertilized them, looked after and cared for them, and once they were good enough to eat they picked them, cleaned them, sold and shipped them to the store you buy your food from. Take a moment and think about all those steps other people have been taking for you, to ensure you will be able to put some broccoli on your plate, SO EAT YOUR BROCCOLI AND BE HAPPY ABOUT IT!