Do you rush through meals without tasting your food or even remembering what you ate? Do you eat while watching TV, looking at your phone, or reading a book? I am guilty of these things myself!
Would you like to facilitate weight loss, curb emotional eating patterns and encourage healthy digestion? Consider mindful eating instead of mindless eating. Mindful eating requires paying attention to what and how you are eating.
Here are six steps to mindful eating to take control of your eating patterns.
- Say grace. Set a grateful and quiet tone for your meal. Meditate on God’s goodness. Are you eating alone? Invite God to the table and thank him for providing for all your needs (Revelation 3:20 NIV).
- Source of food. Think about where your food came from. For example, is it made by God or made in a factory? Try to eat more fresh whole foods, instead of packaged and convenience foods. Thank God for the farmers who grew your food.
- Senses. Eat with all of your senses. Feast with your eyes first. Is your plate attractively filled with colorful vegetables? Make the healthy choice to eat the rainbow of beautiful colors of vegetables and fruits God has supplied for us. Smell the aroma of the food. Taste each bite and savor it. Eat crunchy raw vegetables and hear yourself chew them.
- Slow down. Be fully present during the meal. Enjoy light conversation if you are with others. Chew thoroughly to facilitate digestion. Put down your fork every couple of bites. Eat until you are 80% full and then stop. Wait a few minutes and you will be fully satisfied.
- Shut off the TV and silence your phone. Just eat! No multitasking.
- Start a food journal. If you have digestive issues or overeat, write what you eat and how you feel before and after you eat. Identify emotional eating patterns. Do you eat when you are hungry or when you are angry, bored, sad, or lonely?
Final words
Try these practices and see if you add enjoyment to your meals!
Want more like this? Check out this post, Introduction to Intuitive Eating.
