According to Fletcher, mindful eating has the power to transform peoples relationship to food and eating; as a result, people experience improved health and body image, better relationships, and increased self-esteem.
Mindful eating consists of such aspects as:
" learning to make choices in beginning or ending a meal based on awareness of hunger and satiety cues;
" learning to identify personal triggers for mindless eating, such as emotions, social pressures, or certain foods;
" valuing quality over quantity of what you're eating;
" appreciating the sensual, as well as the nourishing, capacity of food; and
" feeling deep gratitude that may come from appreciating and experiencing food.
According to Megrette, mindful eating counteracts habitual, unsatisfying and unskillful habits and behaviors related to food by teaching the individual to focus attention and awareness on the present moment while eating.
Mindful eating is not new. Over the last 25 years, this practice has been shown to positively impact psychological and physical health in various ways. It has been shown to help with stress, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and heart disease. More recent research has shown the practice to help treat eating problems such as binge-eating disorder and obesity.
Megrette gives five tips for families:
1. Try to arrive at each meal, meaning try to create an intentional transition from previous activities. It may help to designate particular places just for eating.
2. Before eating, ask yourself Am I Hungry?
3. Try to notice the physical attributes of the food being eaten. It may help to have three different colors and three different textures present in each meal.
4. Try to become curious about the food you are eating. Ask questions about it. Who cooked it? Who grew it? What nutrition does it contain? Will eating it benefit me?
5. Try to relax while eating and savor your food; slow down, take time between bites, notice flavors and how your hunger changes as you eat.
Posted By: Vee