Mindful eating: what conscious eating consists of and how to put it into practice

More and more people read and hear more about mindful eatingconscious or intuitive eating as a process to learn a new dynamic with food, without diets.

To begin with, it must be clarified that mindful eating is not dieting to lose weight, nor adopting any specific label. It is more of a lifestyle, a way of relating to food. It is bringing full attention to our nutrition and encompasses what to choose, how to cook and eat food.

Is mindful eating It is, in short, trying to eat in a more conscious way.

The philosophy of mindful eating

Mindful eating or conscious eating is eating while realizing the patterns, belief systems, values, habits, routines and thoughts that we have associated with food, and do it without judgment or criticism, with curiosity and kindness. In this way we can discern which ones help us take care of ourselves and which ones don’t.

In practice, It consists of listening to bodily sensations; pay attention to hunger and satiety signals, to nourish ourselves, feel healthy and satisfied, physically and emotionally; learn to distinguish physiological hunger from emotional hunger; Know the various psycho-emotional triggers that lead us to turn to food, even when we are already physically satiated.

In this lifestyle, meditation, intention and attitude are very important.

The meditation It serves as a way for us to tune the instrument, our body part.
The intentionwhy we eat, realizing that we do not always do it out of physical hunger.
The attitude of compassion towards ourselves, of curiosity, of openness to experience, of self-care…

Improve your relationship with food by understanding hunger

To be more aware of our relationship with food, a decisive step is to understand the mechanisms involved in our eating behavior. The pediatrician and Zen nun, Jan Chozen Bays, in her book Eat attentively (Ed. Kairós), shows us that seven aspects must be taken into account, many of them with a very important role in our overeating:

Visual hunger. This is what we normally call “eating with our eyes”. A well-presented, visually attractive meal is not as attractive as another that seems to have just been dropped onto the plate without any care. We can overeat, carried away by the “look” of a food. We can satisfy this hunger by taking the time to observe the colors, shapes and details of what we eat.

The advertising strategies of the food industry take this into account.

Olfactory hunger. It is the one that when evoked the phrase “smells that feeds” arises. Smells have great suggestive power, sensations, memories… And they can trigger other types of hunger very easily. One way to satisfy this hunger is to delight in the smells of what we put in our mouths.
Oral hunger. “My mouth is watering” is the phrase that suits him best. It is very conditioned by the environment and culture. Oral hunger can be insatiable, it needs flavors, textures… When what we have in our mouth decreases its flavor, we are already ingesting it again even though we have not swallowed. The industry and its flavor enhancers stimulate this characteristic.

To satisfy this hunger, it is advisable to pay attention to the sensations that food causes in our mouth, with each bite before swallowing.

Stomach hunger. It is the one that is usually associated with physics. We perceive it through a feeling of emptiness, cramps, pain… Sometimes these perceptions are caused by habit, anxiety or restlessness, and not by an empty stomach. It is very important to become aware of these signs, learn to identify them and discriminate the reasons.
Cellular hunger. It is triggered when cells are deficient in some nutrient. It is the most difficult to observe, although over time, if we train ourselves in body self-observation it will become easier. To exercise this body knowledge, it is good to close your eyes before eating and ask ourselves: “What do I need now for my proper functioning?”

Mental hunger. It is related to what we think and believe about food. It is expressed through “shoulds”, justifications or demands, about what is good or bad to eat and when. The part of enjoyment, delight and attention to body signals are left aside.
The hunger of the heart. Understanding heart as a metaphor for affection, affection, company, intimacy… Food is used to alleviate this lack of company, attachment, connection… As a way to calm emotions, fill voids… That is why emotional nutrition is also so important.
It could be thirst. Sometimes feeling hungry is confused with thirst. Drinking a little water if we feel hungry and observing the effect it produces helps us discern sensations.

How to start practicing mindful eating?

Observe yourself with a compassionate gaze. Compassion does not mean accepting and validating everything you do. It is, from the responsibility, bring kindness and understanding to your behaviors with the intention of changing what hurts you. Accepting without guilt that what you have experienced so far has been from what you knew how to do at that moment. Without blaming or reproaching yourself.

Remember that attitude is important, and there is nothing better than starting with a curious, patient attitude free of judgments and expectations, which takes us along the path of self-knowledge to understand the mechanisms that direct our diet.

Understand that this change does not happen overnight, and that the process is not linear.

On that path, Errors are seen as a source of information and not something to be avoided at all costs. Keep in mind the types of hunger.

When you feel hungry, take a few moments to close your eyes, Take a couple of deep breaths and ask yourself: What am I hungry for? Maybe new flavors, company, has a smell awakened my appetite? As if out of habit or routine? Am I bored?…

When it comes time to start eating, at least the first bites, Try to make them aware, paying attention to the appearance, the smell, the flavors, the feeling in your stomach or what you think about what you eat.

Tips for more conscious eating

Keep these tips in mind, They will help you practice conscious eating:

Drink some water before eating: Reduces anxiety and increases the feeling of satiety.
Take care of the presentation of what you eat: It is already said that you eat with your eyes. The visual stimulation of your dishes is also important. So, give value to how they present themselves.
Eat sitting down and without distractions: In this way, by paying attention to the act of eating, it will be much easier for you to observe if you already feel truly full, and to savor and savor each of the ingredients.
Chew very well: It is proven that chewing what we eat very well helps us eat less (because this is how the brain detects signals of satiety).
Without filling completely: You don’t need to feel bloated to stop eating. Notice how full your stomach feels best.
Check your relationship with food: If you have a bad relationship with food, ask for professional help. Dieting to lose weight can be a predisposing factor to developing an eating disorder.
Helps you get to know yourself better: He mindful eating or conscious eating is a process of self-knowledge plus a lifestyle. It is not a diet to lose weight. It is one more step in the line of meditation practice.