The Power of Mindfulness and Mindful Eating
Mindfulness…it is a topic that I feel is extremely important in personal nutrition and as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist it is a topic I touch on with each and every one of my clients. Mindfulness is traditional in the spiritual teachings of Buddhism and Hindu. It is seen as a therapeutic technique which can relieve stress and anxiety, and help one to achieve a calmness and relaxation. Mindfulness is actually considered to be a form of meditation. As the name implies, self-awareness is at the very core of mindfulness. What do I mean by that exactly? Engaging in mental self-awareness is bringing attention to observe your body's sensations, as well as your thoughts and feelings associated with them. Mindfulness can be practiced in a variety of ways...one of my favorites is guided breathing. Studies have found that guided breathing exercises can actually help to reduce resting heart rate as well as blood pressure! The simplest way to perform guided breathing is to take a moment (or a few) to take deep breaths in and out. For more variable exercises, many smart devices such as the FitBit watch have guided breathing exercise features built-in, or you may wish to research additional guided breathing sessions on YouTube.
But how does mindfulness tie into nutrition?
I believe mindful eating is so important! Especially in this day and age when everyone is multitasking, doing five things at once with very little time to just stop and take the time to pay attention to their meal or snack they are eating. Mindfulness can be practiced in relation to nutrition by bringing awareness to one’s hunger and satiety (fullness), as well as any sensations you feel while you eat food and even after you are finished eating. Think to yourself: when was the last time you actually took the time to explore and truly recognize your hunger?
Researchers have organized a “hunger scale” to describe the levels of hunger and satiety which people experience. The scale lists off “hunger and satiety cues” which range from starving to stuffed and describes the sensations associated with each level. An example of one of these levels is “…Starving, no energy, very weak…” When people lead distracted lives, they sometimes lose touch with their bodily sensations with regards to hunger and satiety. This can lead to eating at a point beyond hunger, when they are feeling so weak that they might pass out, or even overeating because they have forgotten what the feeling of true satiety is. To become reattuned to your hunger and satiety cues, the next time you are about to eat a snack or meal, take a moment. What do you feel? Is your stomach growling?
Now regarding mindfulness and one’s senses…Mealtime is a culmination of all of one’s senses; sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. When was the last time you truly paid attention fully to your meal? That next time you begin to eat, take another moment. Explore the food you are eating and the sensations you are feeling when you start to eat it. Is the food crunchy or soft? Is it sweet or salty or savory? Is it hot or cold? How does the food smell to you? How does it look? Does this food make you feel satisfied?
Once you’re midway through the meal, pause from eating. How do you feel? Are you completely satisfied, or could you eat a little more? Are you full, but not to the point of discomfort? Engaging in activities like this can help you check in with your senses and determine if you have been eating to the point of true satiety or beyond. There is no shame if you have eaten past the point of satiety; though this may bring you physical discomfort such as a feeling of being overstuffed, with stomach distension or even nausea. Use this experience to help you become re-engaged in your eating experience.
Another great reason to engage in mindful eating is that, physiologically and hormonally, it takes your body roughly 20 minutes to begin to register that you are feeling full. When you take the time to chew your food and pay mind to how it tastes, smells, feels, as well as how your stomach is feeling as you are eating, you are allowing your blood levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone which increases in the blood before meal times and its build-up makes us hungry) to decrease and your stomach to release leptin into your blood (a hormone which lets your body know when you have enough energy and are full) which both tell your brain you are full.
Engaging in mindful eating can also be a useful tool if are trying to lose weight. When you begin to practice mindful eating and you allow your body the proper time to register your fullness and satiety, you are more readily able to stop eating when you are full and you can possibly eat less than you would have if you had just eaten to clean your plate; in other words, mindful eating helps to prevent over-eating. Mindful eating also empowers us to make more conscious food choices in how we wish to fuel our bodies; when you are more aware of how different foods make you feel after you eat them, you are able to steer clear of those which might not make you feel the greatest if you eat them on a daily basis and make selections which ultimately make you feel your best and fuel your body in the way you want it to be.
Some tips for mindful eating include:
eat at a place which is designated for eating; ie. a dining room table, kitchen table, etc.
do not use electronic devices during mealtime; no phones, no tablets, no computers, no television
chew each bite between 20-30 times, until the food is a mush in your mouth
pause midway through your meal to evaluate your hunger/fullness
remember “you don’t have to clean your plate” to be done with your meal; food can be put away and eaten at another meal or as a snack later
