A pea size look at how mindfulness can help you develop a better relationship with food.
Food is amazing! It nourishes our cells and every bit of our being. We need its beautiful energy to work, to move, to think and fuel our every breath.
A healthy relationship with food stems from the relationship we have with ourselves. Food is closely intertwine with our emotions, which is why what we eat triggers feelings. We need to be as kind, compassionate and loving to ourselves as we are to everyone else in our lives. And transcending those good vibes towards food has proven to improve overall health and happiness.
Introduction to Attuned Eating
Attuned eating is a non-diet approach-connecting internal signals of hunger fullness and satiety as opposed to external signals like serving size, points, grams, calories or meal time. There are 2 concepts of attuned eating are intuitive eating and mindful eating. Today we will be discussing intuitive eating, mindful eating and 4 steps to how to start using mindfulness to develop a better relationship with food.
Intuitive Eating
Intuitive Eating is when we become aware of the body’s natural hunger signals. It is a more effective way to attain a healthy weight, rather than keeping track of the amounts of energy/ calories in food.
In growing up, our natural instincts may have went missing.
Simple innate behaviors like :
eating until full
eating when hungry
eating foods that make us feel good
eating only what we want to eat
Over time attitudes towards food can evolve. For some, appreciating all the beauty and fun of food gets lost and negativity shuffles in to steal the sunshine.
Some develop a rigid framework about food, putting foods as “off limits” or “bad”. Instead of creating unrealistic expectations as ways to challenge your will power or with attempt to control, allow flexibility. Look at food from the perspective of nourishment.
Example:
“ I am eating this food to give my body the energy it needs to complete my work project”
What intuitive eating looks like…
- Letting simple innate behaviors guide you.
- Nix the dichotomy of “good” or “bad”foods. Categorizing foods as better and worse attaches emotion to it. The “all or nothing” approach to eating.
Example:
“Salad is good. I’m eating salad, therefore I’m good OR chips are bad I’m eating chips, therefore I’m bad.”
- Give yourself permission to eat freely without remorse or judgment. One way to begin doing this is with mindfulness!
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is bringing awareness to what you are experiencing within this very moment. Recognizing with your senses, emotions and thoughts. Mindfulness can exist with or without meditation practices.
Mindful Eating
Mindfulness applied to eating brings awareness to how the body is responding to foods. Mindful eating allows us to listen to our body’s hunger cues and respond. Focusing more on the eating experience for greater satisfaction and better recognition of hunger signals.
Both principles are skills that have shown to be successful in developing a healthier relationship with foods, long term success in weight loss and overall better health outcomes.
If you would like to get started with using mindfulness to improve your relationship with food here is a 4 step guide to help you begin.
4 steps to start eating mindfully
Practicing mindfulness can help you let go of any fear you have towards foods/eating. The best part is mindful eating is a resource that can be used anytime, with or without company.
STEP 1. ACKNOWLEDGE
What makes your relationship with food better? What makes it worse? Is it a certain food? The environment? Or a specific date/time when certain feelings, thoughts or behaviors are different? What are your thoughts saying? Are they telling you you’re awesome, worthy of all good things and happiness. If not become aware of your feelings. Allow yourself to notice your inner dialogue with out judgements.
STEP 2.SHIFT YOUR FOCUS
Release negativity. Recite a mantra to create positive vibes. Repeating a mantra, which is simply a positive affirmation, like “I am strong and beautiful” these types of positive thoughts that make you feel good. Using mantras can be challenging at first. Just like anything new we are used to thinking and doing one way so it will take time to learn a new way of thinking but stay persistence. Steps backwards are vital to your progress forward.
3.LET GO:
Take it slow, one meal is not going to set you off track. If you do not act in accordance to your expectations- LET IT GO- if that dialogue is there let it float in and out of your mind without judgement. You have the power to restart at every moment, every new breathe is a new opportunity to start again.
4. BELIEVE
Self doubt is learned and can be unlearned. You are worthy of all things wonderful, believe it.
Would love to hear your health story? Have you used mindful eating techniques before? How did they work for you? Comment Below..
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With gratitude,
J
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