Feeding yourself mindfully for a happier, healthier life

“In this food I see clearly the presence of the entire universe supporting my existence.” Thich Nhat Hanh

MINDFULNESS AND FOOD

Eating is a natural and necessary activity for satisfying hunger, nourishing our bodies and fueling our lives. Unfortunately, in our food abundant, diet obsessed culture, the process of eating has become represented by mindless over-consumption of empty or highly-processed calories, often resulting in guilt and shame. We end up walking around hating our bodies; criticizing them, starving them, abusing them with exercise or clothing that is too tight. All too often, we find ourselves in this cyclical hamster wheel of dieting and overeating, resulting in disappointment. We have determined that food is the enemy. But the problem is not with our food, our fat cells or our genes. The problem is with our minds. It lies in our lack of awareness of the messages coming in from our body and our ability to read them.

Mindful eating helps us learn to hear and understand the messages from the body. It helps us become aware of who in the body/heart/mind complex is hungry, and how and what is best to nourish it with. In many instances food is not the only answer.

WHY WE EAT WHAT WE EAT

When talking about food, one of the biggest issues I hear from my clients is the struggle with binge eating. Our bodies are biologically programmed to crave fat, sugar and salt because back in the day when our ancestors were living off the land, these items were hard to come by. So in the rare instance when they would cross

their paths, they would completely binge out. These excess calories and nutrients were then stored in the fat tissue to prepare their bodies for a time when food would again be scarce.

Today, the problem is that we do not have an issue with food scarcity, we have an issue with food abundance. In fact, it isn’t even the abundance I’m talking about, it is the plethora of unhealthy food that is saturated with fat, salt and sugar, that drives our instincts to load up on as much as we can. This instinctual drive shows up even more when we are feeling stressed, as our brain interprets bad times to come and our body starts storing for the future.

During stressful times, the brain will choose carbohydrates in particular because it is looking for a good serotonin and dopamine rush, which the carbs deliver in spades, as well as excess sugar to be stored for the fuel in the future crisis. Dopamine and serotonin are the chemicals in our brains that help us chill out, feel good and believe that everything is going to be okay. Another important consideration when thinking about overeating is that it takes about 10-15 minutes for the brain to register the report from the stomach that it is well stretched and satiated. Eating too quickly, or eating foods that are predigested (which is the case for most processed foods) sets us up for overeating as we are not in sync with our bodily rhythms. We eat too much, too fast, and end up feeling uncomfortably full.

As the pace of our lives continues to increase and we feel stretched in so many ways, we lose touch with the experience of food and eating, and often cannot even recall what we ate at our last meal. Have you ever noticed that you’ve just eaten something and can hardly remember what it tasted like? With today’s busy lifestyle, we tend to eat on automatic pilot, allowing our instincts to drive our behavior rather than being mindful of all the gifts our food brings to the table. This is the gift of mindful eating–it brings us back to the present moment and allows us to once again enjoy and appreciate the multi-sensory experience of ​nourishingourselves.

THE BENEFITS OF MINDFUL EATING

Mindful eating is a powerful tool for weight loss, stress reduction, and increasing nutrient absorption. Best of all, it doesn’t cost a thing and only requires 10-15 minutes at each meal. Mindful eating supports the idea of feeling more pleasure

when eating. It is the process of eating with intention and attention to the present moment with complete acceptance. When we eat mindfully, we are eating with the intention of caring for ourselves as well as noticing and enjoying food and its effect on our bodies. By noticing and enjoying the pleasurable tastes and sensations during and after a meal, you’ll feel more satisfied, less stressed and be able to know when you are fully satiated, which will reduce overconsumption.

With mindful eating, we begin to choose foods that we enjoy. This approach to eating helps to make us feel good by improving our energy, increasing mental functioning and regulating bodily processes. This gives us the opportunity to realize needs we were “eating” away or “stuffing”, and allows us to find more effective ways to deal with cognitive and emotional issues that cause us stress rather than eating.

INCORPORATING MINDFUL EATING INTO YOUR LIFE

Before you eat anything, think of how this food or choice will help you. Allow yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food selection and preparation by respecting your own inner wisdom.

Consider where your food comes from. There are so many people involved in bringing food to your table. The farmers and farm workers. The processors, the transporters, the grocers and sales clerks, and finally the cooks. Taking a minute to before you eat to thank each of these people, all of whom have in some way touched your food and helped in bringing it to your table.

Think about​ how the food was prepared and the environment within which you consume your nutrition. This is so important and can radically change your health and stress levels. You will enjoy food more and your body will be more efficient in processing your food if you are eating simply prepared foods in a calm and stress-free environment. Meaning, if you are going to get takeout, bringing it home and eating it in a quiet environment is better for your overall health and stress levels than eating it in the car. The simple task of being aware of what, where and how you’re eating can radically improve your mood and digestion. This awareness gives you the space to start making better nutrition choices as you are more in tune with your body and what it really needs.

For the meal itself, here are a few tips to start incorporating mindfulness into the process of eating:

● First, take time to see and smell your food. As you bring a bite of food up to your mouth, notice how your mind and body respond.

● Feel the food in your mouth, noticing the various tastes and sensations.

● Count the number of times you chew and aim for 20-30 times before you

swallow.

● If you get distracted during the meal, just notice that your mind wandered

then come back to focusing on the food.

● Put your fork down at various times during the meal and just soak in the

experience, perhaps the environment, the people, or just the silence if you

are eating along.

● After the meal, sit still for a few moments and pay attention to your thoughts

and the sensations in your body, especially your stomach and any feelings of fullness.

A great goal is to start with 2-3 mindful meals a week. It is a wonderful way to learn how to enjoy eating while teaching your brain to experience food in a different way. You will notice that you start appreciating and enjoying food and meals more. Once you have taken some time to connect yourself with the experience of eating, you will start making better dietary choices because you will be in touch with how foods affect your body. By giving yourself the gift of eating mindfully, you not only learn how to slow down and enjoy your food more, you’ll also reap health benefits such as improved absorption of nutrients, greater control over food choices, a deepening of gratitude for your food and those you share it with as well as an enhanced overall feeling of wellbeing.

Be well, Lara

Lara Kain, PA-C, MPAS

TORCH Center for Wellness