So what does eat “mindfully” actually mean?
Mindful eating is an effective weight-loss strategy that encourages you to slow down and pay attention to your food, noticing each sip or bite you take.
It helps focus your senses on exploring, savouring and tasting your diet, and teaches you to follow your bodies hunger cues.
It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Most of us eat so fast that we don’t give our bodies the time to tell us we are full, so we end up eating far too much.
How to practice mindful eating
- Eat more slowly and don’t rush your meals.
- Chew thoroughly. If you are struggling with this, try chewing each mouthful 20 times.
- Eliminate distractions by turning off the TV and putting down your phone.
- Eat in silence (when possible).
- Focus on how the food makes you feel.
- Notice all the flavours of the food you are eating.
- Stop eating when you’re full.
Some of the benefits of mindful eating:
- Reduce stress.
- Increase enjoyment.
- Easier digestion.
- Reduce calories.
- Lose weight.
- Less binge eating.
- Control food instead of it controlling you.
- Increases interest in food flavours and nutritional value.
Enjoy mindfully choosing, preparing and eating your foods.
