Establishing Good Eating Habits – Mindful eating (part 3)

I hope you have enjoyed part 1 – Plan smart to eat smart and part 2 – Drink to your health.  Today is the final part 3 – Establishing good eating habits.

A lot of people fall into the trap of mindless eating when things get busy and life gets hectic. Unfortunately, most of the time, food choices made under stress are not the healthiest. The stress hormone cortisol messes with our appetite and causes us to crave sugar. I want to share with you my recommendations to practice and cultivate mindfulness on how and what you eat:

• For a week, keep a food journal to record the food you eat, the situation (physical and social setting) and your stress level at that time. Notice your trigger, so you can look out for these circumstances in the future.
• Practice an alternative to “munching” when the situations noted above crops up in your life. Maybe it’s sitting down and drinking a cup of tea. Maybe it is taking a 15-minute walk to clear your head. Maybe it is finding a quiet place and practice breathing exercise for a few minutes.
• Make a rule of not eating in the car.
• Make a rule of not eating standing up or “on the run”. When you eat, try to sit down, focus on the food, and use utensils – this will bring attention to the food you are eating, and your brain would actually register that you have eaten.
• Practice mindful eating – take a deep breath, notice your environment, and savour the taste and the texture of the food.
• Eat slowly – when we are stressed out and in a rush, we just stuff food into our mouth without paying attention to our satiety. Your brain needs about 10 – 15 minute after you eat to register fullness so pause to avoid overeating. I hope you have found my suggestions on healthy eating to be beneficial! If you have any questions about working with me one-on- one, please contact me through my website at www.ancawellness.com.