Mind Over Platter
By Laura Cipullo, Whole Nutrition Services Team
When people are trying to get healthy, they spend a lot of time thinking about WHAT they are eating. What they may not be thinking about is HOW they are eating, which is just as important.
When you eat, focus on the meal you are having, rather than the distractions around you, such as the TV, a laptop or mobile device. Eating while working or walking is also distracted eating.
Eating while doing something else can lead to overeating. You want to be aware of the cues your body is giving you, telling you that you are full. Not overeating allows you to eat all the foods you want, in moderation. If you eat while doing something else, you risk missing those cues–not to mention causing indigestion!
If you want to decrease stress–and who doesn’t?–eating mindfully can help. In a hectic day, eating mindfully, really concentrating on your food using all five senses and taking a deep breath, gives you some much-needed moments of peace. It is a form of meditation that can appeal even to those who don’t like to meditate.
Finally, eating mindfully can help you redefine your relationship with food. It will encourage you not to see food as something you turn to when stressed, or something that is the enemy. It will encourage you to see a meal for what it is, something that nourishes you and makes your body strong, and something you should always give gratitude for.
Check out this article from Harvard Medical School to get other tips on how to eat mindfully.
And if you need some one-to-one help on eating mindfully — it’s a skill that takes practice, just like anything else — be sure to contact me at Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition Services. You can also use my Mindful Meal Log developed to work with the Women’s Health Body Clock Diet to start eating mindfully right now.
