Mind, Body & Soul sessions (#12)

Stop Mindless Eating, Start Eating Mindfully

Do you find yourself continually reaching for that second helping, taking nibbles and bites while you are cooking, filling dinner plates to the rim, finishing leftovers, staring down the contents of your refrigerator waiting for something to beckon to you, or finishing meals in record time? If the answer is YES! Well then it is time to congratulate you, so here it is Congratulations, you are now officially a Mindless Eater. Hmm… congratulating you does not feel right; actually I should offer you my condolences. Mindless eating is bad….BAD, because mindless eating can lead to eating amnesia. This means you cannot accurately remember what and how much you actually ate. It’s hard to keep track of how much you are eating when you are doing something else like watching TV, cooking, reading, checking your email, or talking on the phone. Plus the kind of food that you can easily eat when you are multi-tasking is usually food you can pick up with your fingers. Unless you eat celery sticks or fruit, most finger foods are high in calories. And hey, just because you can’t remember what you ate and all those calories that came along with it, doesn’t mean they aren’t real.

A lot of our unhealthy eating behaviours are simply bad habits, inherited from our parents or influenced by our environment. But these little habits can have a huge impact on how many calories you eat each day and ultimately, how much you weigh.

So, maybe it’s time for a change and maybe it’s time to examine your relationship with food, which can be both enlightening and liberating. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to end the mindless eating and start to eat mindfully.

Your task, if you want to change you eating behaviour: Dedicate this week to paying attention – and I really mean pay attention- to how you eat your food. That means no snacking because you're upset or bored, no eating while standing in front of the fridge or preparing your meals, no grazing mindlessly while staring at the TV or your computer screen and no turning meals into multitasking affairs.

Instead of wolfing down a sandwich at your computer, take 15 minutes to truly enjoy your meal. Sit down, push everything else aside, give yourself plenty of room and actually taste what you're eating. Think about the food you're putting into your mouth and consciously chew, take pleasure in every bite. Eat slowly and stop when you're comfortable. Remember that as your food reaches your stomach, you will feel full. Eating slower helps you eat less, by simply slowing down and taking the time to truly enjoy your meals, you can trim calories too (now, isn’t that a great plus :)).

So, in short, Eating Mindfully is all about paying attention? Yup, Eating Mindfully is all about paying attention to what you eat, when you eat, where you eat, how it taste and controlling what goes in your mouth when you're stressed, upset, or just plain bored. Sound easy enough! But still, you have to be smart and some tips might come in handy, so here are 3 tips that will help you during moments of weakness.

Plan Ahead – You can’t eat it, if you don’t have it: In a moment of weakness or boredom, there's nothing easier than grabbing the Ben & Jerry’s from the freezer (or your snack of choice) and devour it. But what if indulgences like that aren't in the house? If it isn’t there, you can’t eat. Stock your kitchen with fruits, vegetables, pudding cups, frozen fruit bars, and yogurt a.k.a healthy snacks!

Treat Yourself To A Treat from time to time: There's nothing wrong with an occasional treat, they often make eating healthy a little easier. Whether it's a small bag of chips, a handful of M&M’s during your favourite TV show or an ice cream cone on a warm day, giving yourself permission to eat it removes the need for secret binge sessions.

Stay Active During TV Time: Keeping your hands and head occupied can keep you from the television haze-induced snacking. This doesn’t mean you have to stay active all the time, but when you feel a snack attack coming on, don’t snack, do something else instead. For example: exercise, knit, or do a crossword! It doesn't matter what it is, just keep busy and keep your mind of the snacks!

Now go on……Eat, Drink & Be Merry, but above all….Mindful!!