Mindful Eating

How we eat is just as important as what we eat. At a party, you can down an entire plate of food while your attention is focused on your conversation, not on your meal. You look down, the plate is empty and you wonder, did I eat this? You hardly tasted it. You had all the calories without pleasure. Maximum calories, minimum pleasure. We eat meal after meal, snack after snack, barely aware of what we're eating and how much we're consuming.

Sensual eating (or mindful eating) is hardly new, but it has much to offer someone with an eating disorder. Mindfulness is simply the moment-by-moment awareness of life. But it's not always so simple. We so easily get caught up in our own thoughts and self-talk that we are scarcely aware of life as it passes us by. This is very true of our eating.

Mindful eating has the powerful potential to transform people's relationship to food and eating, to improve overall health, body image, relationships and self-esteem. Mindful eating involves many components such as:

• learning to make choices in beginning or ending a meal based on awareness of hunger and satiety cues;
• learning to identify personal triggers for mindless eating, such as emotions, social pressures, or certain foods;
• valuing quality over quantity of what you're eating;
• appreciating the sensual, as well as the nourishing, capacity of food;
• feeling deep gratitude that may come from appreciating and experiencing food.

When you are mindful, you are fully present in-the-moment without judgment. When it comes to eating, mindfulness helps amplify the volume of your body's cues so you can hear loud and clear when you are hungry and full. Many social and environmental factors can stand in the way of being able to accurately decode your body's feedback. Mindfulness helps you break free from routine eating habits by examining the thoughts, feelings and internal pressures that affect how and why you eat (or don't eat). Here are some tips to get you started:

• Shift out of Autopilot Eating: Take a look back over the last 24 hours. What have you eaten? Can you describe it with any accuracy? We often we go on autopilot when eating, because we have done it enough that we don't have to pay much attention to get the food into our bodies. Many people eat the same thing day in and day out. Notice whether you are stuck in any kind of rut or routine.

• Take time to chew your food: Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.

• Avoid stress while eating: When we are stressed, our digestion can be compromised, causing problems like colitis and heartburn. Avoid eating while working, driving, arguing, or watching TV (especially disturbing programs or the news). Try taking some deep breaths prior to beginning your meal, or light candles and play soothing music to create a relaxing atmosphere.

• Take Mindful Bites: Did you ever eat an entire plate of food and not taste one single bite? Bring all of your senses to the dinner table. Breathe in the aroma of a fresh loaf of bread. Notice the texture of yoghurt (dahi) on your tongue. Truly taste your meal. Experience each bite from start to finish.

• Attentive Eating: Sure, you're busy and have a lot "on your plate." It's hard to make eating a priority rather than an option or side task. If you get the urge for a snack while doing your work or studying, stop and take a break so that you can give eating 100% of your attention. Try to avoid multitasking while you eat. When you eat, just eat.

• Thinking Mindfully: Just because you think negative thoughts doesn't mean you have to act on them or let them sway your emotions. Negative thoughts can trigger overeating or stop you from adequately feeding your hunger.

• Listen to your body: Ask yourself if you are really hungry. You may really be thirsty, so try drinking a glass of water first. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly. Eating just enough to satisfy your hunger will help you remain alert, relaxed and feeling your best, rather than stuffing yourself into a "food coma"!

• Eat early, eat often: Starting your day with a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating the majority of your daily caloric allotment early in the day gives your body time to work those calories off. Also, eating small, healthy meals throughout the day, rather than the standard three large meals, can help keep your metabolism going and ward off snack attacks.

Taste is the beginning, but satisfaction with your food depends on your other senses like seeing a lovely plate of food, smelling the aromas of cooking, hearing the crunch, feeling the textures. Don't just eat - dine!