Mindful eating: what is conscious eating?

Every time you read and hear more talk about mindful eatingconscious or intuitive eating such as a process to learn a new dynamic with food, without diets. To begin with, clarify that mindful eating is not dieting to lose weight, nor is it adopting any specific label. It is more of a lifestyle, a way of relating to food. It is bringing full attention to our nutrition and includes what to choose, how to cook and eat food.

Is mindful eating it is, ultimately, trying to eat in a more conscious way.

Realizing our patterns, belief systems, values, habits, routines and thoughts associated with eating, without judgment or criticism, with curiosity and kindness. Discern which ones help us take care of ourselves and which ones do not.

If you want to know more about how to meditate, you may be interested in our Mindfulness course: reduce stress and anxiety in 8 weeks.

It consists of listening to bodily sensations; pay attention to hunger and satiety signals, to nourish ourselves, feel healthy and satisfied, physically and emotionally; learn to distinguish physiological from emotional hunger; Know the various psycho-emotional triggers that lead us to resort to food, even when we are already physically satisfied. In this lifestyle, meditation, intention and attitude are very important.

Meditation serves us as a way to tune the instrument, our body part. The intention, why we eat, realizing that we do not always do it due to physical hunger. The attitude of compassion towards ourselves, of curiosity, of openness to the experience, of self-care…

Improve the relationship with food by understanding hunger

To be more aware of our relationship with food, a decisive step is to understand the mechanisms involved in our eating behavior. The pediatrician and Zen nun, Jan Chozen Bays, in her book eat attentive (Ed. Kairós), shows us that There are seven things to keep in mind. many of them with a very important role in our overeating:

The visual hunger. It is what we normally call “eating with the eyes”. A well-presented, visually attractive meal is not as attractive as another that seems to have just fallen onto the plate without any care. We can eat more, carried away by “the pint” of a food. We can satisfy this hunger by taking the time to observe the colors, shapes, and details of what we eat.

The advertising strategies of the food industry take this into account.

Olfactory hunger. It is the one that when evoked the phrase “smells that it feeds” arises. Smells have great suggestive power, sensations, memories… And they can trigger other types of hunger very easily. One way to satisfy this hunger is to delight in the smells of what we put in our mouths.Mouth hunger. “My mouth is watering” is the phrase that suits him best. She is very conditioned by the environment and culture. Oral hunger can be insatiable, it needs flavours, textures… When what we have in our mouths decreases its flavor, we are already ingesting again even if we have not swallowed. The industry and its flavor enhancers encourage this characteristic.

To satisfy this hunger, it is convenient to attend to the sensations that food causes us in the mouth, with each bite before swallowing.

stomach hunger. It is the one that is usually associated with physics. We perceive it through a feeling of emptiness, cramps, pain… Sometimes these perceptions are caused by habit, anxiety or restlessness, and not by an empty stomach. It is very important to become aware of these signs, learn to identify them and discriminate the reasons.Cell starvation. It is triggered when cells are deficient in some nutrient. It is the most difficult to glimpse, although over time, if we train ourselves in bodily self-observation, it will become easier for us. In order to exercise this body knowledge, it is good to close your eyes before eating and ask yourself: “what do I need now for my proper functioning?”.The mental hunger. It is related to what we think and believe about food. It is expressed through “shoulds”, justifications or demands, about what is right or wrong to eat and at what time. The part of enjoyment, delight and attention to bodily signals are left out.

The hunger of the heart Understanding heart as a metaphor for affection, affection, company, intimacy… Food is used to alleviate this lack of company, attachment, connection… As a way to calm emotions, fill gaps…It may be thirsty. Sometimes feeling hungry is confused with thirst. Drinking a little water if we feel hungry and observing the effect it produces helps us to discern sensations.

How to start practicing mindful eating?

Observe yourself with a compassionate gaze. Compassion does not mean accepting and validating everything you do. It is, from the responsibility, bring kindness and understanding to your behaviors with the intention of changing what hurts you. Accepting without guilt that what you have experienced so far has been from what you knew how to do at that time. Without blaming or reproaching you.

Remember that attitude is important, and there is nothing better than starting with a curious, patient attitude, free of judgments and expectations, that leads us down the path of self-knowledge to understand the mechanisms that direct our diet.

Understand that this change does not happen overnight, and that the process is not linear.

on that road, errors are viewed as a source of information and not something to be avoided at all costs. Keep in mind the types of hunger.

When you have an appetite, take a few moments to close your eyes, take a couple of deep breaths and ask yourself: what am I hungry for? Perhaps new flavors, company, a smell has awakened my appetite?, as a habit or routine?, am I bored?…

When it’s time to start eating, at least the first bites, try to make them aware, attending to the appearance, smell, tastes, the feeling in your stomach or what you think of what you eat.

Keep these tips in mind They will help you practice mindful eating:

1. Drink some water before eating: Decreases anxiety and increases the feeling of satiety.2. Take care of the presentation of what you eat: It is already said that it is eaten by the eyes. The visual stimulation of your dishes is also important. So, give value to how they present themselves.3. Eat sitting down and without distractions: In this way, by paying attention to the act of eating, it will be much easier for you to see if you already feel really full, and to savor and savor each of the ingredients.4. Chew really well: It has been proven that chewing what we eat very well contributes to eating less (because this is how the brain detects signals of satiety).5. Not quite filling: You don’t need to feel bloated to stop eating. Observe the fill level of your stomach that feels best to you.6. Review your relationship with food: If you have a bad relationship with food, ask for professional help. Dieting to lose weight may be a predisposing factor to developing an eating disorder.7. It helps to get to know you better: He mindful eating or conscious eating is a process of self-awareness plus a lifestyle. It is not a diet to lose weight. It is one more step in the line of meditation practice.