Mindful Eating Practices

Come back to your internal wisdom. If you listen, your body will tell you what and how much to eat.

How do you start? Try the tips below to bring mindfulness to your meals: 1. Deep breaths Stop and take a few deep breaths before you eat (in and out through the nose). This will get you into a rest and digest state while also helping your brain to communicate with your gut to know if you are truly hungry, and when to stop when your body is satiated.

2. Use your senses

Use your five senses to truly appreciate your food. Pay attention to how the dish looks, how it smells, if you hear it crunch, the texture, the taste. Slowing down to savor what you are eating will give you much more pleasure and satisfaction as well as prevent overeating.

3. Eat until satisfied Before having seconds or finishing your plate, ask yourself, "Do I need more?". If the immediate response is something like, "Well, I could have more.", that means you're satisfied! Yes, technically you could have more, but then you'd be full afterward. You'll know if your immediate response is that you're still hungry or you're full. This one can really take some practice, and there will likely be times that you choose to eat more even when you know you're satisfied but the first step is being aware of how you feel which is still a win.

Are your sugar cravings getting in the way of mindful eating? Read my blog post on Getting Over Sugar Cravings.