Have your ever found yourself holding an empty bag of chips (or some other food) and wondering how could it possibly be empty? Didn’t you just grab a completely full bag only a few minutes ago? And weren’t you only going to have one or two? Certainly not the whole thing!
Mindless eating. It can spell disaster for your diet as well as your health. Especially if it’s something you tend to do on a regular basis. And it’s very easy to do.
We all have many demands in our very busy lives. There’s too much to do and too little time to get it all done. With the convenience of processed, packaged foods, it’s become quite normal to grab foods that are quick, tasty, and convenient, and eat them while doing something else (multitasking). And if you’re like many people, quick and tasty usually wins out over slower and nutritious. And while you’re busy working on that “something else”, you’re not paying attention to how much you’re eating or that you’re full.
Maybe you give yourself a much-needed break from your busy life to relax to read a good book, or watch a movie, show, or sporting event. You get comfortable with some of your favorite foods. The problem is that you continuously feed that food into your mouth while focusing on the entertainment, oblivious to what and how much you’re eating.
How can you break that cycle?
Don’t eat while distracted or on the run. Be present and aware of what you are eating. Sit down and eat deliberately. Eat slowly and taste your food. Enjoy your food, enjoy the flavors and textures. Chew your food completely. Focus on how you feel while you are eating. Are you getting filled up? And finally, either take the time to prepare your own foods with fresh, healthy, whole ingredients or purchase healthy quick snacks such as pre-cut veggies and fruit, or raw nuts. Throw fresh fruits and/or vegetables into your blender for a quick, nutritious smoothie.
Try it! If you do this, you will be likely to eat less because you will actually notice when you begin to feel full. You will also absorb more nutrients by eating more slowly and giving your body the opportunity to extract the nutrients from the foods you eat. And eating healthier foods will give your body more nutrients to absorb. You will feel better and you will stop your weight from creeping up or even lose weight.
Make the switch from mindless to mindful eating and see what happens!
Mindless eating. It can spell disaster for your diet as well as your health. Especially if it’s something you tend to do on a regular basis. And it’s very easy to do.
We all have many demands in our very busy lives. There’s too much to do and too little time to get it all done. With the convenience of processed, packaged foods, it’s become quite normal to grab foods that are quick, tasty, and convenient, and eat them while doing something else (multitasking). And if you’re like many people, quick and tasty usually wins out over slower and nutritious. And while you’re busy working on that “something else”, you’re not paying attention to how much you’re eating or that you’re full.
Maybe you give yourself a much-needed break from your busy life to relax to read a good book, or watch a movie, show, or sporting event. You get comfortable with some of your favorite foods. The problem is that you continuously feed that food into your mouth while focusing on the entertainment, oblivious to what and how much you’re eating.
How can you break that cycle?
Don’t eat while distracted or on the run. Be present and aware of what you are eating. Sit down and eat deliberately. Eat slowly and taste your food. Enjoy your food, enjoy the flavors and textures. Chew your food completely. Focus on how you feel while you are eating. Are you getting filled up? And finally, either take the time to prepare your own foods with fresh, healthy, whole ingredients or purchase healthy quick snacks such as pre-cut veggies and fruit, or raw nuts. Throw fresh fruits and/or vegetables into your blender for a quick, nutritious smoothie.
Try it! If you do this, you will be likely to eat less because you will actually notice when you begin to feel full. You will also absorb more nutrients by eating more slowly and giving your body the opportunity to extract the nutrients from the foods you eat. And eating healthier foods will give your body more nutrients to absorb. You will feel better and you will stop your weight from creeping up or even lose weight.
Make the switch from mindless to mindful eating and see what happens!
RSS Feed