What is your relationship with food?
On the other hand, were I to quickly gorge down a sandwich while walking to class and talking on the phone, I would not receive the same effects. This is mindless eating.
For me, eating food means more than filling my belly; it means nourishing my mind and energizing my body. Meals are a time for restoration, rejuvenation, and most importantly, a time for meditation.
Mindful eating means taking the time to enjoy your food, eating slowly and consciously, and experiencing your meal to the fullest. Mindful eating is not about what food you eat, but rather, how you eat and what you think about while you eat. It is eating without judgment. It is channeling food as a way to embrace the mind-body connection.
Mindful eating is the non-diet; it is meditative eating.
Buddhist teachings promote mindfulness as a way to improve emotional and physical health and wellbeing. And when utilized through eating, mindful practices reduce binge eating and encourage enjoyment of the meal, one bite at a time.
As I begin a meal with the intention of being mindful, I allow my mind to settle and embrace the meal. I let go of my pressing thoughts, and one-by-one, my to-do list fades away. As I take one bite of a bowl of roasted vegetables, I focus on my senses, enjoying the flavor and texture and savoring the taste. I savor silence. I savor my state of being.
On the other hand, were I to quickly gorge down a sandwich while walking to class and talking on the phone, I would not receive the same effects. This is mindless eating.
Through slow, thoughtful eating, I allow myself to listen to my body. How much food am I really craving? What motivated me to eat this? What is telling me I am hungry? Is my body getting what it needs?
Dedicate your mealtime to taking a step back and listening to your body. Allow your mind (and stomach) to find balance between thought and awareness throughout your meal – but trust me, it is not as easy as it sounds.
Like most Buddhist teachings, practice brings fulfillment. Through attempting mindful eating at least once a day we can change our brain and restore our mind-body connection. We can learn to listen to ourselves, and thus heal ourselves.
How can mindful eating play a positive role in clinical treatment?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35.7% of adults and 17% of children and adolescents in the United States are obese. Additionally, it is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder. The cost of treatment for over- and under-eating is much more expensive than eating mindfully.
And so you might be thinking, so what? Maybe you’re not convinced that eating mindfully will aid in weight loss or treating eating disorders. However, mindfulness practices have a deep history in promoting positive health, and recent studies show that interventions with mindfulness-based eating and lifestyle therapy can serve as a long-lasting treatment for people with obesity and eating disorders.
And so you might be thinking, so what? Maybe you’re not convinced that eating mindfully will aid in weight loss or treating eating disorders. However, mindfulness practices have a deep history in promoting positive health, and recent studies show that interventions with mindfulness-based eating and lifestyle therapy can serve as a long-lasting treatment for people with obesity and eating disorders.
For the generalized American population, the relationship between eating and mental and physical health are constantly put into question. Whether it is one’s ability to afford healthy food, desire to achieve an idolized body image, ability to slow down for a meal and resist the fast-food tendencies in society, or accept the challenge to listen to your body, we can greatly improve our eating habits by taking the time to eat mindfully.
By taking your time to eat a sandwich, drink mindful sips of tea in the morning, or eat a home-cooked meal, mindful eating can empower us all to truly savor our food and promote a healthy and fulfilling conversation between the mind and body. Through silent meals and slow and conscious bites, we can begin to embrace mindful eating as a daily practice.
I leave you with a set of challenges. I challenge you to attempt to eat mindfully at least once a day. Let go of your mental suffering and explore ideas of compassion and rejuvenation. And once you reap the personal benefits of mindful eating, I encourage you to teach others to eat intentionally and mindfully. Through eating healthy and consciously we cannot only improve mental health, but also our physical wellbeing.
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