Transform your health and relationship with food with our Mindful Eating Course. Enroll now.
In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easier than ever to move through life on autopilot. Our daily routines can easily become mindless activities we just check off our to-do list. Becoming more present to the little things throughout our days takes practice, but it’s a powerful way to wake up to the beauty that can be found in everyday life.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that involves maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment through a gentle, nurturing lens. This awareness allows us to form deeper relationships with seemingly mundane aspects of our lives, and can significantly improve our health, quality of life, and sense of purpose when implemented regularly.
Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and eating is something that we all have our own unique relationship with. Mindful eating focuses on our eating experience, bodily-related sensations, thoughts, and feelings regarding our relationship with food. This includes slowing down enough to fully experience your meal, becoming aware of our motivating factors behind eating, and nourishing a healthy connection with our food.
From improved digestion and deriving more enjoyment from eating to an overall healthier relationship with food, the benefits of mindful eating extend far beyond just mealtime. Incorporating this practice can have a lasting effect on the way we relate to food and the way we experience eating. Some of these powerful benefits include:
Setting yourself up for success when it comes to mindful eating can involve a few key principles. First, if you can, find a quiet place with minimal distractions when it comes to mealtime. Create an atmosphere where you can feel at ease and eat calmly.
From there, begin by eating slowly. Chew your food thoroughly, becoming mindful of the flavor, texture, temperature, and qualities of the food you’re eating. Indulge in the sensory details and sensations you may have otherwise overlooked.
As you eat, notice what it feels like to start to get full. Becoming aware of our hunger cues can let us know when we’re satisfied, and give us a stopping point in our meal when we feel nourished and satiated.
As you move throughout your day, continue to stay aware of when you want to eat. Is it in response to hunger cues? A way to soothe a stressful morning? For taste and pleasure? Become curious about your motivating factors behind eating, and move toward food mindfully from that place.
There are some supportive techniques you can use to enhance your mindful eating practice. One includes tapping into the five senses. Focus on what you taste, smell, hear, see, and feel throughout your meal. When your mind begins to stray or you find yourself eating in a mindless manner, redirect your attention back to the five senses.
Another supportive technique is practicing gratitude. This practice can invite us into the present moment from a place of joy and celebration. As you eat, invite a sense of thankfulness for the food that’s in front of you. What do you feel most grateful for? The flavor? Nourishment from a healthy meal? The smell of the kitchen around you? The people you are sharing your meal with? Take a moment to relish the energy of gratitude for the experience of the meal in front of you as part of your mindfulness practice.
Like any mindfulness practice, implementing mindful eating consistently can feel difficult at first. Life pulls us in many different directions, and maintaining presence in the midst of our daily lives can often feel like going against the grain.
Managing distraction can be the most difficult obstacle to overcome. Whether you’re eating around people, in an office, or have your phone pinging nearby, there will inevitably be distraction. The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to feel pulled away from your practice. Distractions don’t have to dismantle your mindfulness when it comes to food, it can be a part of it if we know how to properly manage them and gently return to the present moment.
Social situations also pose their own unique challenges when it comes to mindful eating. When your energy is scattered as you celebrate, converse with those around you, and order food for the table, relaxing into your meal and being present as you eat can be the last thing on your mind. Be gentle with yourself and know that your practice won’t be perfect. Do what you can to carve out moments of presence and check in with your body, breath, and meal as you socialize.
Cravings are very much a part of the mindful eating journey. As we create a new relationship with food, understanding our cravings is a big part of that equation. As we tap into our bodily sensations and hunger cues deeper, we can learn the origin of our cravings and move forward in a more mindful way. Sometimes our cravings are because we’re hungry, other times they could be to fulfill an emotional need or create some excitement in our day. The more mindful we become of our eating patterns, the more we can learn to fulfill these needs differently and better our relationship with food.
Consistency over perfection. If maintaining your practice feels daunting, start with a few meals a week, and work up to one meal a day. Once that feels easy, you can start to incorporate mindfulness, even if just for a moment, at each meal.
Keep a food journal. Invite awareness into what you’re eating, when, and how you experienced your meal by writing it down. You can also make note of any cravings you’re having, particular bodily sensations, and any other notes you have on your mindful eating journey.
Mindful eating is a powerful practice that can ease our digestive system, evoke more joy at mealtime, transform your health and relationship with food, and invite you deeper into the present moment. With the Mindful Eating Course here at IIN, you can begin your journey to a more fulfilling relationship with food today. With this course, you’ll find nourishment on and off your plate and be empowered to create holistic practices that improve your connection with food. Deconstruct your cravings, shift your mindset, and create new, healthier eating habits that will transform the way you think about food.