There are several reasons why you want to eat more slowly, chew more completely, and adopt an awareness approach to food. The least of these is that research shows it helps people take in fewer calories so it can help you shed unwanted weight!
According to the WebMD article “Slow Down You Eat Too Fast” by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, Weight Loss Clinic Expert, “Most Americans eat too fast, and, as a result, they take in too many calories before they realize they’ve eaten enough. It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Leisurely eating allows ample time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. And feeling full translates into eating less.”
Here are some tips for helping you develop an awareness approach to food:
• Bring all of your attention to your food.
• Use all of your senses—taste, touch, sight, smell, hearing, and mind.
• Decide ahead of time the size of the bite you will take.
• Put your fork, spoon, or knife down.
• Enjoy chewing each bite until it completely dissolves before swallowing.
In a QuickRead* brochure on mindful eating, the experts at Hope Health suggest you pause for a few moments (they say a few seconds is sufficient) and decide if you are still hungry. “If you are, take another bite. If you’re not, your meal is done.”
If your concentration wanders, simply breathe the name of the food you are eating to yourself: apple. In The Five Contemplations, Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist, says “food is a gift of the whole universe—the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard work.”
This week, make time to have at least one fully mindful meal. Start there… We do not have to live in a monastery to derive all of the benefits (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual) of an awareness approach to food. You can experience mindfulness right in your own kitchen, in a fine restaurant, and in the lunch room at work!
This health tip originally appeared online at https://scs-matters.com/
An-Awareness-Approach-to-Food/. Send email or call to schedule a private session with Debra.
Tips from 5 April 2010 to 6 August 2012 are here: Archived Tips
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Rev.Debra Basham
Voice or text: (269) 921-2217 Email or Text: debra@scs-matters.com https://scs-matters.com http://ImagineHealing.info http://SurgicalSupport.info Small Changes … Infinite Results™
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ |