Mindful eating for better health

Mindful eating follows the same principles as mindfulness.  It’s the ability to be in the moment and be aware of what we are putting into our bodies as fuel.  Mindful eating is beneficial to everyone, from someone who eats just to fill a gap, to someone who binge eats.  Food makes us who we are.  We cannot exist without food and yet we fill our bodies with junk food and don’t pay enough attention to what is in the food we eat – that is where mindful eating comes in.

How To Begin

Choose one meal a day where you can concentrate on what is on your plate without the distraction of TV, phones or planning meetings.  It will be just you and your food.  Pick a meal which you know you will enjoy.  Buy the best ingredients you can afford and, as you make this meal, appreciate the goodness and health which you are going to get out of it.   If you can begin this journey with a friend or family member all the better.

Imagine your favourite meal is freshly made pasta which a tomato/basil sauce, topped with lots of parmesan, with a salad on the side. You have now lovingly prepared this meal and made it look attractive on your plate.  Sit down at a table or counter and appreciate the array of colours and textures.  Put a forkful of this delicious food into your mouth.  Savour the different flavours and textures, chewing each mouthful well before slowly going on to the next one.  

Enlightened Taste Buds

The more you practice mindful eating, the more you will enjoy your food and appreciate the different flavours and textures each food has to offer.  You will find that you are eating less and, as you are chewing each mouthful properly, your digestive system will be working better than it has for years.

People who eat mindfully constantly comment on how they have naturally lost weight because they are now conscious of when they are full.  Before mindful eating, these converts say they just blindly finished everything that was on their plate, without a thought for the effect it was having on their bodies.

Mindful eating leads to a joy of cooking and can become a marvellous family occasion.  Teaching your kids that cooking and eating are pleasurable activities and not just necessities in life, will put them on a path to a healthy, fulfilling life.