Happy New Year to all of our readers here at Foco Food Assistance! With each new year comes new opportunities, possibilities, and intentions.
New year resolutions almost always involve becoming a better, healthier version of you. This is usually found in the form of:
Diets/Eating healthier
Increased exercise
Losing weight
Drinking less/no alcohol
Quitting an unhealthy habit (ex: smoking)
Etc.
Restricting and refraining your body can make you feel unhappy, unsuccessful, and closer to quitting your goal.
Research is being conducted that a practice known as "mindful eating" can have positive influences on your health and your relationship with food. Mindful eating can be described as "bringing full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment." This practice empowers you to make healthier choices because you aren't depriving yourself of "bad" foods, just choosing a different perspective to enjoying them. Evidence is showing that enhanced mindful self-awareness improves well-being, including anxiety and depression, eating disorders, food cravings, and weight loss.
Core Concepts of Mindful Eating:
Adapted from "8 steps to mindful eating" from Harvard Medical School
1. Let your body catch up
Take the first four bites of your meals slowly and with full attention on the food. By eating slower, this allows the body to send a satiation signal after about 20 minutes to your brain, which communicates by telling you if you're still hungry or not.
2. Express gratitude
Pause for a minute or two before you begin eating. Express your gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy delicious food and the companions you're enjoying it with in the form of silent reflection or prayer.
3. Enjoy the moment
Savor each bite and identify what you are tasting, feeling, smelling, experiencing. Take smaller bites; chew the bite thoroughly. It's easier to taste food completely when your mouth isn't full. Try putting down your utensil between bites to fully be in the moment.
4. Be in the moment
When we are distracted, it becomes harder to listen to our body’s signals about food and other needs. Try taking in a meal and just eating, with no screens or distractions besides enjoying the company you are with.
5. Embrace all food as good
Remove negative jargon in reference to food. It's difficult to completely enjoy if you are associating guilt with the food. When making food decisions, try replacing "I should" or "I shouldn't" with "I choose to."
Try one of these exercises next time you eat:
Set your kitchen timer to 20 minutes, and take that time to eat a normal-sized meal.
Try eating with your non-dominant hand; if you're a righty, hold your fork in your left hand when lifting food to your mouth.
Use chopsticks if you don't normally use them.
Eat silently for five minutes, thinking about what it took to produce that meal, from the sun's rays to the farmer to the grocer to the cook.
Before opening the fridge or cabinet, take a breath and ask yourself, "Am I really hungry?" Do something else, like reading or going on a short walk.