The Importance of Mindful Eating: My top tips!

Do you find yourself eating on the go? In front of a T.V or while browsing your insta/facebook feed? Maybe even at your desk at work? These eating habits completely detach you from your bodies own innate wisdom and can lead to weight gain + digestive distress.

I’ve definitely been guilty of distracted and mindless eating. I didn’t even realize how these seemingly harmless habits were impacting my health, but when I began to strengthen my mind+body connection, I began to see a HUGE transformation and haven’t looked back since!

Check out my TOP 3 Mindful Eating Tips in my latest YouTube video! 

https://youtu.be/WlAq6zCDg10

THE FIRST STEPS TO INTUITIVE EATING

Embracing mindfulness at meal times truly is the first step into becoming a intuitive eater. This means tuning into your bodies subtle hunger/fullness signals. When you master this, maintaining weight loss becomes EFFORTLESS.

This is because most weight gain boils down to eating when your NOT hungry aka over eating so you most learn to eat when you hungry and STOP when your full. This may seem like a no brainer but as our lives are pulled in a million different directions throughout the day and our to-do lists pile up, mindless eating becomes second nature.

My first tip is to EAT YOUR MEALS WITH OUT DISTRACTION. This means turn the T.V OFF and silence your cell phone plus other gadgets. Be fully present and aware of the meal in front of you and your company. Enjoy each sensation, the smells, tastes and textures of your meal. As you bring all of your attention to the meal in front of you, your body will be able to properly assimilate the nutrients and your digestive fire will kick into gear.

I used to suffer from IBS after meals and thought it was only because of WHAT I was eating not HOW I was eating. This paradigm shift and new awareness has been so healing to my digestive system plus no more tummy upset- Yayy! 

SLOW DOWN AND BREATHE…

We have ALL experienced eating meals on the go or scarfing down our food to get back to the task at hand. I used to see meal time as a inconvenience in my day and just wanted to get through it as quickly as possible.

When I began to eat slowly + chew thoroughly, I noticed I was getting full faster and could easily save the rest of my meal later.

This is because when we SLOW DOWN we release a hormone called PYY which keeps us satisfied LONGER leading to less over all food intake in your day. This is such a simple way to cut out those extra calories WITHOUT feeling deprived.

The breath is another under utilized component that is actually pretty incredible for fueling our digestive fire and allowing us to digest fully. Take long DEEP belly breaths before and during meal time to activate your full digestive power. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through a open mouth for a 4-5 rounds, really emphasizing your exhale. If you would like to discover the power of your Breath on a entirely new level, I would love to see you in my office for a customized 1:1 session or at one of my upcoming classes!

SMALLER BITE SIZES

This last tip is SO simple, yet SO effective. My hubby is guilty of taking HUGE bites and being done with his entire meal in a matter of minutes. He is seriously missing out on the true experience and connection of his food by doing so.

Researchers have shown that by taking smaller bite sizes, taste satiety is reached sooner because you are getting more sensory pleasure from each bite.

This is one of my favorite mindful eating tricks because as you increase the frequency of bites, it feels like you are eating MORE. It also aids in SLOWING down your meal timing, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the meal.

START WITH JUST ONE

If implementing all of these tips seems overwhelming to you, then start with just ONE. I promise you will LOVE eating in this simplistic nature.

Not only are you healing your relationship with food, you have a sense of peace at meal times that is SO freeing! 

Do you have any other mindful eating habits that you’ve tried? I’d love to hear from you so let me know in the comments!

If you have any questions on this topic then reach out to me directly at sam@samkalawart.com or check out my 1:1 Offerings if you are ready to empower your own healing journey at all levels mind, body & spirit.

xx,
Sam