One of the most powerful tools you can use to help you on a journey towards fat loss is mindful eating.
How many times have you grabbed some food at home and eaten it standing up in the kitchen? Or you’re out on the road and you get something and wolf it down in your car? You’re part way through your day, and you grab a sandwich and eat it at your desk.
When we eat in a hurried manner, we are not only denying ourselves the pleasure of enjoying our meal, we are also preventing our bodies from fully appreciating what we have eaten and giving ourselves the time to acknowledge the energy that we have consumed.
It can take up to 20 minutes for your brain to register what you have eaten and to notice that you are full. If you are eating quickly that gives quite a substantial window of time to over consume.
Being a fast eater is associated with being overweight which can bring a whole host of other issues such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and poor digestion.
Chewing is the first step in the process of digestion so if you aren’t giving yourself enough time to chew your food sufficiently, you are interrupting this natural process. Not chewing properly does not mean that your food digests slower, in fact it can confuse your digestive system and could lead to bloating.
Todays modern food landscape consists of a great deal of manufactured items. These foods are designed to be soft, quick and easy to eat. They are masterfully created to appeal to our tastebuds and to encourage us to want to buy them on a regular basis.
The soft, quick and easy to eat qualities of these foods motivate us to consume them at speed, not noticing how much we have eaten. Choosing whole, natural foods that require preparation and chewing will assist you in slowing down your rate of eating and staying present during your meal.
Along with the physical effects, eating too quickly can decrease your enjoyment of food which can, again, lead to eating more in the search for enjoyment and satisfaction. The same can be said for manufactured food – the lack of real nutrients can leave you craving more to satisfy a deeper physical need.
Eating more slowly can help you to feel more satisfied which could decrease the total amount of energy you take it. It also improves digestion and enjoyment. Try to move away from seeing how much you can eat and get away with, and move towards testing how much is enough to be satisfied.
Here are some suggestions for slower, more mindful eating:-
- Eat without distraction – no TV, no phones.
- Put the food down, or put down your fork, in between mouthfuls, only picking it up when you have chewed and swallowed each bite.
- Look at your food, take in the smell, feel the textures in your mouth, be very present in each mouthful.
- Take some deep breaths before starting to eat and notice your breathing as you continue to eat, keep it slow and calm.
- Notice your frame of mind, are you eating in a hurried state? Are you rushing? Are you stressed? Deep breathing can help to shift you from a fight or flight mode to a rest and digest mode.
- Notice the signals from your body; both hunger signals before you eat but also satisfaction signals during and after eating. Learn how your body communicates that it is satisfied. It could be a feeling from your stomach, or even an awareness, a voice from your mind.
- Take smaller bites of your food and chew them slowly.
- Chew thoroughly, making sure you have started this first phase of digestion.
- Don’t get too hungry, use what you learn from understanding your hunger signals better, to help you to know how to manage your level of hunger to avoid eating when ravenous.
The final point I want to make is to notice how you eat around the people in your life, whether certain people, or certain locations, or situations, affect how you eat. If you notice that certain situations, or certain people, cause you stress and that this affects the way that you eat, or influences the food choices that you make, you might want to think about why. Dealing with these triggers will ultimately give you freedom from them in the future. If you do notice any patterns, try to avoid those situations and give yourself time to work on your mindful eating habits away from people or situations that cause unnecessary stress. If you find this process difficult or overwhelming, don’t be afraid to seek help from a professional.
Personal Trainer Lucy B 