Mindful Eating: A Guide to Nourishing Your Body and Mind

In our busy lives, it’s easy to fall into mindless eating habits – grabbing snacks on the go, eating in front of screens, or using food as a way to cope with stress. These habits can disconnect us from our bodies’ hunger and fullness cues, making it harder to maintain a balanced and healthy relationship with food. 

Taking a mindful approach to eating can help bring awareness back to our meals, allowing us to make conscious food choices, fully appreciate our meals, and support our overall wellbeing. Mindful eating is a technique that connects our mind with our mouth, helping us pay closer attention to what we are consuming and how it affects us. Below, we’ve outlined some simple steps to incorporate mindful eating into your daily routine. 

STEP OUT AT YOUR OWN PACE

Deciding to eat mindfully shouldn’t feel like an overwhelming burden. Start small – focus on having one mouthful of your afternoon snack with full attention. Then build up by eating one meal a week or one meal a day more mindfully. Remember, it’s not a competition or a race. 

CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF

Take a moment to tune in with your body. Are you hungry? Notice if your stomach is grumbling or feels empty. How are you feeling? Observe whether you are stressed, worried, calm, or excited. By taking this time to honour your physical and emotional signals, you’ll get better at distinguishing between them. This means you’ll be more likely to eat when you’re actually hungry, rather than using food as a coping tool. 

SET ASIDE YOUR DISTRACTIONS

Step away from the screens. Yes, that means saying a quick goodbye to your smartphone, laptop, and TV (just for a little while). It is really difficult to eat mindfully if your eyes aren’t looking at your plate and your thumb is scrolling through articles or social media. So, in this precious moment that you’ve set aside for eating, let go of the distractions and be present to focus on your mindful eating. 

TURN UP YOUR SENSES

Sight. Smell. Sound. Taste. Touch. With mindful eating, you get to use all your senses to explore and savour the colour, aroma, texture, and flavour of every bite. Your morning toast will no longer be so mundane when you notice its golden colour and the satisfying crunch as you bite into it. Try to keep a balance of foods from each food group (revisit your portion planning guidelines in your Week by Week Guide!) and keep your senses engaged by using a variety of herbs, spices, and different coloured vegetables. 

SLOW DOWN YOUR EATING

It can be tempting to rush through meals, but it’s important to take the time to chew thoroughly. Put down your utensils between each bite. Slowing down helps us digest better and gives us time to contemplate our food. By doing this, we’ll be less likely to eat beyond our comfortable level of fullness! 

Eating is essential to our health and wellbeing, and it’s important not to feel guilty about what or how much you eat. Instead, we encourage you to embrace mindful eating – slowing down and truly savoring your food – rather than mindless eating, where distractions take over. Small, intentional changes can make a big difference in your relationship with food.

Struggling to find healthy recipes to cook during this time? Click here for a range of recipe ideas!