Mindful eating.

This blog is a follow up to my previous one regarding emotional eating.

I suggest that you read it first so you understand the concepts discussed here, as I will only mention them briefly.
Emotional eating is when people use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of to satisfy hunger.
In the previous blog we also looked at the difference between physical hunger and emotional Hunger.


Mindful eating
(also known as intuitive eating)


Is a concept with its roots in Buddhist teachings, it aims to reconnect us more deeply with the experience of eating and enjoying our food.
Sometimes referred to as “the opposite of diets,” mindful eating is based on the idea that there is no right or wrong way to eat, but rather varying degrees of consciousness about what we are eating and why.
The goal of mindful eating, is to base our meals on physical cues, such as our bodies’ hunger signals, not emotional ones like eating for comfort.


Mindful eating is not a diet, or about giving up anything at all. It’s about experiencing food more intensely and for the pleasure of it.
You can eat a cream bun, if you wish...  you might find that you enjoy it a lot more.
Or you might decide, halfway through, that your body has had enough.
Or that it really needs some salad, fruit or vegetables. 

When people tend to be prone to emotional eating, the food they choose is known as their "Comfort" Foods.

We all have our own comfort foods. Interestingly, they may vary according to moods and gender. One study found that happy people seem to want to eat things like pizza, while sad people prefer ice cream and cookies. Bored people crave salty, crunchy things, like chips. Researchers also found that guys seem to prefer hot, homemade comfort meals, like steaks and casseroles. Girls go for chocolate and ice cream.


This brings up a curious question: Does no one take comfort in carrots and celery sticks? Researchers are looking into that, too. What they're finding is that high-fat foods, like ice cream, may activate certain chemicals in the body that create a sense of contentment and fulfillment. This almost addictive quality may actually make you reach for these foods again when feeling upset.
http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/emotional-eating.html#


Breaking the Cycle


This is a skill, that you don’t just acquire overnight.
It takes practice, and there will be times when you forget to eat mindfully, and there will be starts and stops.
But with practice and attention, you can become very good at this.
To achieve this you will need to learn to pay attention to:

• Why you feel like eating, and what emotions or needs might be triggering the eating.
• What you’re eating, and whether it is healthy or not.
• The look, smell, taste, feel of the food you’re eating.
• How it makes you feel as you taste it, as you digest it, and throughout the day.
• How full (or sated) you are before, during and after eating.
• Your emotions during and after eating.
• Where the food came from, who might have grown it, how much it might have suffered before it was killed, whether it was grown organically, how much it was processed, how much it was fried or overcooked, etc.

How to learn to eat mindfully.


1. Eat slower
2. Savor the silence
3. Silence the phone. Shut off the TV.
4. Pay attention to flavor
It can be hard to notice what you are even eating, let alone truly savor all the different sensations of eating it. If you are trying to introduce mindful eating to your family, consider talking more about the flavors and textures of food.
5. Know your foodEven when you have no idea where the food you are eating has come from, try asking yourself some questions about the possibilities: Who grew this? How? Where did it come from? How did it get here? Chances are, you’ll not only gain a deeper appreciation for your food, but you’ll find your shopping habits changing in the process too.
6. Set your boundaries. Make a list of which foods are a “yes”, which are “maybe, sometimes”, and which are a “no”.


​Visualize success.


How often to we watch ourselves fail in our own minds? Or replay our mistakes? What if you were to visualize yourself succeeding?
​Reframe your thoughts. Replace the thought of “I can’t have that” with “I choose to have something else”. Instead of focusing on limitation or lack, focus your attention on abundance and gratitude for what you do have. And remember, you can learn to like new things.
​Challenge your thoughts. Do you interpret the thought of “I just ate something bad” as “I am a bad person” or “I’ll never be able to do this”? Respond to these thoughts in the manner you would for a friend. Use a kind, compassionate voice with yourself. These thoughts could be challenged with this: “I made a decision that was not in my best interest. That does not mean I’m a failure or that I can’t make healthy decisions. I just feel that way right now because I just made an unhealthy choice, but every moment is another opportunity to make a different choice. So now, I’m going to be present and make a good choice in this moment.”
​When you succeed, celebrate! When you make a good decision pay attention to how good you feel and relish that feeling. Keep a journal of your successes to motivate you.
http://nutritionstudies.org/overcoming-emotional-eating/


I hope that you found this interesting and helpful.
Even if you do not just eat for comfort by considering the above may make you appreciate it even more.
All comments and feedback welcome.




REFERENCES


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mindful-eating-as-food-for-thought.html?pagewanted=all
https://zenhabits.net/what-is-mindful-eating/