Mindful Eating: How Slowing Down Can Transform Your Health (and Maybe Save You from That Third Slice of Pizza)

 

Mindful Eating

Let me admit this. There was a time when I once inhaled a burrito while scrolling TikTok. The sad part is that to date, I don't even remember what it tasted like. Whether it was a beef, chicken, or something else wrapped in a tortilla is the memory I still find hard to recall. If that sounds familiar to you, then you are not alone.

What many people do today, as I have observed, is the habit of eating while emailing, or watching YouTube or TikTok. Of late, you will barely come across people eating without doing anything. It is either that they are responding to a WhatsApp message, talking to that pal of theirs over the phone, or do you know what has happened to mindful eating of food? The answer is short. Food has become a multitasking victim.

This is where mindful eating comes to play. It is a simple but science-backed way to have a healthier relationship with food. The short of it all is to concentrate while eating either than the lot of distractions. Don't get me wrong or misunderstand what I mean, mindful eating is not a diet, nor is it about counting calories or banning carbs. What I know about mindful eating is simple. It is just about noticing what is on your plate. I mean paying attention to the food you are eating and, more importantly, how your body feels about it.

Let me explain a few things to you 

🥢What Exactly Is Mindful Eating 

To help you understand this further, mindful eating is when you pay attention to the taste and the texture of the food you are eating. All of which you do without second thoughts. This, as I have researched, is believed to have its principles in the Buddhist teaching and has been popularised by no other person than 

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who is a founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Dr. Jan Chozen Bays, who is also an author of Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food.

 What Are The Core Principles of Eating Mindfully

1. Am I Eating With Intention

Before you put any meal in your mouth, the first question you can ask yourself is: "Why am I eating? Is it because of Hunger? Stress, or is it because of Boredom? Getting the answers to these questions helps you to know the intention you are eating with.

2. Put All Your Senses to Work

Eating with distractions in the first place doesn't even help you to feel the actual taste of the food. Your eyes are focused on something else instead of looking at the color of the food, the aroma in it, and even the texture. But because you do not do that, you do not even know in the end whether you are truly satisfied or not.

3. Do Not Rush Things: Take It Easy

Some people I have observed, especially in my home, eat as if they are competition in a league. When you eat in haste, you will not be able to notice the flavour in your food. What can you do? Try putting your fork down between bites. 

🌱Why Bother? The Real Benefits of Mindful Eating

1 Eating mindfully helps you experience better digestion.

A 2017 study in the Journal of Obesity found clearly that slower eaters had fewer digestive complaints and hence improved their satiety. If you doubt, research it yourself, and you will find out that chewing food thoroughly helps break down food mechanically, which in turn reduces your digestive workload.

2. Weight Management Without the Diet Drama

Do you know that mindful eaters tend to maintain healthier weights? Do you know why? Well, the thing is, they respond to true hunger rather than those emotionally triggered hungers. I am a food science student, and the fact that I learned this in class is true; there is no doubt.

 3. There is the Benefit of Greater Enjoyment

When you taste food, like really taste it, you need less of it to feel satisfied. It is the difference between "just one more bite" and "wow, that was enough."

🧘Still Wondering  How You Can Practice Mindful Eating? Here is How

Let me have your back and help you with some tips on how you can practice mindful eating.

• Start with one meal at a time. It could be lunch or breakfast, whichever works best for you. 
• Do away with phones when eating. Remember, no distractions allowed. No Netflix and chill, no quick emails. Give your food the same attention you give to movies anytime you are watching one.
• Be patient with yourself. Do not eat as if you are missing a flight. 

🧩Who Can Benefit?

• Busy people who want to reduce that stress and avoid that burnout, eating habits
• Parent who are looking to model their eating behaviors.

📚What I Found During My Research: The Science Backing

1. Havard Health Publishing noted clearly that mindful eating bonds a good relationship between you and your food and helps curb overeating.
2. The American Heart Association also links mindful eating with improved cardiovascular health and lower BMI
3. Psychology Today also emphatically reported that mindful eating can even reduce anxiety and depression.

I am not hyping this; it is data I have collected. 

Bringing this to a close. I want you to have in mind that mindful eating is more about the experience you have with the food you are eating.

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