With all of the latest buzz about the new Canada’s Food Guide, we’re all well aware that Health Canada is emphasizing the importance of consuming more plant based foods. But have you looked past the plate? The food guide also highlights information for eating habits, including eating mindfully. But what exactly is mindful eating and how can we practice it?
First off, take a moment to think to yourself, are you a mindful eater? Do you find yourself eating meals in front of the TV, in the car, or while you’re completing an assignment? But it’s more than just your environment. Can you acknowledge when you are eating due to boredom rather than hunger? Or maybe you find yourself eating, simply because it’s 5 o’clock and that means it’s time to eat.
I can definitely admit to eating mindlessly in front of my computer watching a webinar or making edits on my latest assignment. During my last placement my breakfast meal was usually consumed in my car while I drove 20 minutes to work. However, one of my goals for 2019 is for my boyfriend and I to eat dinner sitting at the dinning room table. He looked at me a little strange when I mentioned this but I find I am enjoying my dinner so much more, even just sitting up straight rather than hunched over the coffee table makes a difference. My schedule is all over the place and sometimes our day doesn’t overlap much, but being able to sit and eat together gives us the opportunity to connect and enjoy our meal.
With that, lets explore the concepts of mindful eating.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is defined as the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. A definition more in tune with today’s topic is; a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Mindful eating can be more complex to define. Jean Kristeller, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Indiana State University and co-founder of The Centre for Mindful Eating describes the term as “listening to hunger, fullness, and taste satiety cues”.
How can we practice mindful eating?
- Slow down! Taking time to eat your meal or snack, chewing slowly and taking breaks to assess how full you are
- Eating without distractions such as driving or watching TV
- Become aware of those hunger and satiety cues, using cues to determine how much you need to consume
- Choose food that is nourishing and enjoyable! Don’t force yourself to have a bowl of plain, unflavored quinoa because it’s a healthy option – add some spice and flavor to that!
- Reflect on how you feel when you find yourself mindlessly eating – am I eating because I’m bored or sad?
- Include meditation in your daily practice
We live in a face past world, we are masters of multitasking. The goal here is to pay attention to the eating experience with all of our senses and acknowledging the emotional and physical responses that may happen, without judgment. These attitudes bring positivity back into food, letting go of the guilt, and focus more on what your body needs to thrive.
Interestingly enough, babies are the experts at mindful eating. They are very self regulated when it comes to food consumption, they know when they’ve had enough and they certainly know when they don’t like something.
Why is this significant?
There is some research out there showing that using mindful eating strategies may lead to weight loss, what is more important here is the change in eating behaviours. For example, mindful eating has been shown to reduce emotional eating and eating in response to external cues, behaviors that are related to obesity.
A study using mindfulness to predict healthier eating behavior concluded a number of interesting findings. By conducting four studies, the authors were able to establish that mindfulness predicts reduced calorie consumption. Mindfulness was associated with less uncontrolled eating, reduced calories consumption and a greater likelihood to choose fruit over sweets for a snack. This was found without any mindful training, participants completed various tasks in a lab setting including a Mindful Attention Awareness Scale to determine mindfulness.
For me, it’s not about weight loss, it’s about appreciating our food and listening to our bodies. We know ourselves better than anyone!
What Canada’s Food Guide is saying
If you haven’t dived deep into the resources available from the new food guide, there is a section on eating habits! The food guide discusses taking time to eat. When we take the time to have our meal, we can actually enjoy it, and enjoy sharing the meal with others. This can help us prevent overeating if we are listening to our body when it is full. As we know overeating due to excess calorie intake can lead to weight gain, but who hates the feeling of being waayy to full? Me! The bloating, and uncomfortableness.
Also, there are tips on how to notice when you are hungry and full. These include simply asking yourself – am I hungry? Give your body time to digest the food, take a break before you go for seconds to decide if you need more.
What can you take away from all this?
Today, I wanted to shine some more light on the emerging topic of mindful eating, keeping in mind it is certainly not a new term. I appreciated that it was included in the new food guide, I hope that people read it and reflect on their current eating patterns. Mindful eating isn’t about telling others what to eat, but more so on how to enjoy eating. Any nutrition or dietetic students out there, these are great resources to take with us into practice, understanding the relationships clients have with food and how to ensure those relationships remain positive!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today, see you in the next one!
Rebecca
