Tag Archive for: distractions

3 Tips to Help You Eat Mindfully

“I think before I eat now”.

This is a quote from my client Melinda (name changed to protect her privacy) who I’ve been working with. She originally came to see me with some GI disturbances. But as we got into a discussion in that very first session, it was apparent that she was stuck in a diet mentality with lots of food rules.

Melinda is a busy working mom. She’s constantly trying to balance her family life and work schedules, not an easy feat. She found that her eating was haphazard, and she wasn’t feeling at her best. While she wanted to make changes, she also wanted me to tell her exactly what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat. She told me that she’s a very good “rule follower”. But I proposed something different to Melinda, learning the art of mindful eating.

I introduced Melinda to the concept of mindfulness, the state of being present in the moment without judgement. First we started with mindfulness in her every day activities, and then we moved into mindfulness in her eating. As she began practicing mindful eating, she realized it’s not just about what she’s eating (as she always thought), but how she is eating.

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating encourages you to think about your food choice, consider the taste, texture, aroma and temperature of your food, and stay aware of how eating this food makes you feel during and after the eating experience. It helps you stay tuned in to hunger, satiety and satisfaction.

While mindful eating is something you can learn, the reality is that when life throws you a curve ball (i.e. a pandemic, death, job change etc), it’s easy to fall back into the rushed, haphazard, grab-and-go lifestyle you were doing for a while. However, it IS possible to continue your mindful eating practice during these times.

Here are some tips to help:

  1. Set up your home environment to support mindful eating practices. This means put all food away in the cabinets and pantry and not laying around on the table or counters. You will be less apt to grab on your way in and out of the kitchen.

 

  1. Avoid distractions during mealtime. While it may be tempting to catch up on the news while eating dinner, this takes your attention away from the food you are eating. Make a commitment to keep the television off and keep all phones away from the table (this goes for your family members too).

 

  1. Pause mid-meal to check in. A quick break mid-meal can help you determine if you are enjoying the food you are eating, and if you are starting to get satisfied. This practice will help you stay mindful and honor your body and taste buds.

 

You don’t need food rules. All you need is to slow down and be aware of your surroundings and food choices. You will find that you have a greater satisfaction with the foods you are eating, and you’ll feel a renewed energy.

 

4 Tips to Increase Food Appreciation

We live in a society that is go-go-go. We might be doing one thing, but we are probably thinking about the next thing we have to do. Which makes me wonder how many people actually pay full attention to their food when they are eating.

 

In speaking with a lot of people over the years, I find that most people do not take the time to eat slowly and instead, rush through their meals.  They eat breakfast in the car on the way to work, work through lunch and eat at their desk, or grab a quick bite from the drive thru for dinner on the way home.

 

An important practice when working on your relationship with food is to learn to appreciate the food you are eating. Consider where the food came from, how it got into your kitchen and onto your plate, and who was involved in making that possible (farmers, factory line workers, mom). This also means appreciating what food does for your body: fuels you, give you energy, and supplies you with vital nutrients.

 

Here are 4 tips to increase your food appreciation:

 

  1. Eat Breakfast at Home: When you’re running late in the morning, the first thing that goes out the window is breakfast. You tell yourself that you’ll eat when you get to work. And you may do just that. But chances are you’re eating while you’re checking the morning emails, returning messages and writing your to-do list for the day. This means you are paying minimal to no attention to what you are eating.

 

Try waking up a half hour earlier each morning so you have planned time to prepare and eat breakfast. Even better, do some meal prep ahead of time, such as set the table with a bowl, spoon and cereal choice, or prepare overnight oats that are ready in the morning.

 

  1. Sit Down at the Table to Eat: It’s so tempting to eat while you’re meal prepping or to open the fridge and grab a snack. Remind yourself that eating happens when your butt is in a chair and you can fully be present with the food. This means even if you are alone. I know how difficult this may be, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll really enjoy this time.

 

  1. Take a Lunch Break: Years ago, I didn’t schedule a lunch break in my day. I wanted to be available to my clients which meant that inevitably, I didn’t get to eat lunch. Or if I did, it was a quick grab and run, or eating in front of the computer, and it felt as if I never even ate.

 

I realized how that practice was not in my best interest and I started blocking out lunch time in my schedule. Not only did I feel better, but my clients benefited as well as I had more energy and was more productive.

 

So go ahead and schedule that lunch break for yourself. Consider it an act of self-care.

  1. Avoid Distractions at Dinner: I get it, habits are hard to break. But watching Jeopardy while you eat dinner (or sports or whatever show you like) takes away from mindfully eating your meal. Instead, engage in conversation with your partner or kids, and savor the flavor, texture and aroma of the food. When doing this, you are also better able to attune to your fullness signals and will stop eating when you are comfortably full. Go ahead and DVR Jeopardy and have a date night watching with your partner after dinner.

 

Implement these suggestions at your own pace and over time you will see how it’s impacted your appreciation for the food you are eating. Let me know how it goes in the comments below.

 

 

 

Celebrate NO Diet Day

Have you skipped a meal because a “diet” told you to?  Have you replaced meals with shakes or avoided entire food groups?  Do you restrict your favorite foods or force yourself to eat foods you don’t like because your “diet” says you should?

 

You may have fallen prey to the many fad diets out there, but you don’t have to anymore.

 

Let’s celebrate International NO Diet Day tomorrow, May 6th by stopping the diets.  Use this day to celebrate body acceptance, body shape diversity and to raise awareness of the harmful effects unhealthy dieting can have. The goal of International No Diet Day is to teach people how to have a healthy relationship with food and ditch restrictive eating habits.

 

Effects of Dieting

 

Diets can be filled with restriction, deprivation and cravings, which may lead to bingeing, emotional eating and guilt.  This can move you further away from having a healthy and balanced life.

 

Diets can cause you to ignore your internal hunger signals that your body naturally gives you for when and what it wants to eat.  This can lead to an altering ability to recognize these signals and affects how you feed yourself.  The change in mindset also alters the “brake” system your body has in place to avoid overeating.  If you restrict, you are more likely to binge.

 

Remember, a diet provides you with a set of rules about what you can or cannot eat.  They are a short-term strategy to reach long-term goals.  Fad diets, diet products, and the way body image is portrayed in the media are detrimental to forming healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Body discrimination can be seen all around, from advertisements showing off thin models to the current “fat acceptance” movement which is quite the opposite and celebrates curves while shaming smaller physiques.

 

Here are 3 tips to help you break the never-ending diet cycle:

 

  1. Become an attuned eater. Choose foods based on an internal sense of hunger, appetite and satisfaction. This will help you learn more about what your body craves and help avoid overeating.

 

  1. Eat without distractions. Chew thoroughly and enjoy what you’re eating.  Listen for the internal cues your body will give you as you reach satiety.

 

  1. Do not deprive yourself. Instead, eat what you want and savor it.  Avoiding deprivation will help limit the temptation “avoided foods” have.

 

Remember, dieting is about restriction which can lead to feelings of guilt and ultimately alter your relationship with food and your body.  Stop the diets by accepting your body where it is now.  With acceptance comes admiration and you will naturally feed your body better and avoid restricting to provide your body with all the nutrients it needs.

 

Celebrating and loving your body and yourself is the drive behind much of the work I do. Rather than restricting yourself, focus on nourishing yourself. I stress this to all my clients. Self-care and loving yourself go hand-in-hand. Please stop comparing yourself to others! Embrace your uniqueness and celebrate your body by treating it with nourishing foods and mindfulness.

 

If you need help celebrating your body, head over to www.TalkWithBonnie.com and request a time to chat!

 

Take the “International No Diet Day Pledge”.  Repeat the following as many times as you need to:

 

“I will accept myself just as I am.
I will feed myself if hungry.
I will feel no shame or guilt about my size or eating.
…and I will LOVE MYSELF for who I am, not who I feel pressure to be!”