We are a nation on the run. We multitask, preoccupied, while we snack from a bag. It’s no wonder that we suffer from chronic digestive issues and poor nutrition, and we are often frustrated with our weight.
Learning to ease our stress and put our mind where our mouth is will help us connect to healthier practices and develop more powerful tools for understanding what your body may be lacking, as well as help you recognize allergies and possibly aid you in curbing emotional eating.
Mindful Eating Tips
Hunger or habit? How does your body feel when hungry? Notice the sensations that lead you to want to eat. Focus on understanding hunger signs over habits of desiring food based on cravings or projected times you are “supposed” to eat.
Set the stage. Eating at your dining room table, or even at a scenic park bench, removes you from normal distractions like the computer, TV or traffic.
Buddha posture. Mindfulness begins with posture. Proper posture allows breath to flow naturally through the body. Mom was right: sit up straight.
Please join me. Sharing your meal preparation as well as eating with positive, loving people makes meal time a healthy ritual that you look forward to.
Bless you. The act of blessing our food or thanking it for how it will heal our bodies and fortify us offers a path to communicating with our food and recognizing its energy and importance to us beyond just filling our stomachs.
Goodbye landfill. A real plate, cloth napkin and silverware or bamboo-wear deepens our connection to Earth and to ourselves. Place settings with a long life promote our long life.
No shovel needed. Allow yourself to experience each bite, from the smell to the texture and then the taste. Chewing slowly allows you to fully experience your food.
“Clean plate club” dropout. As you begin your mindful practices, consider leaving just a bit of food on your plate each time you eat to be stored for your next meal. You then create a mindset that the food will be there later, so there is no lack.
Wash by hand. At the completion of each meal, if we take a moment to end our meal time by hand washing our plates and utensils, we bring a full circle closure to the ritual of eating.
Water flowing over your hands as you wash symbolizes purity. Drying the dishes by hand also allows you to complete your mindful process without the use of unneeded equipment.
Rebecca Reynolds, Certified Health Coach & Drugless Practitioner, & Founder of Green Clean. To reach Rebecca for personalized health coaching, contact her at Rebecca@greenclean.biz or www.greenclean.biz.