Mindful Eating
Posted by Nurse Mary on 5th Feb 2025
Have you ever found yourself in your kitchen eating half the bag of baking chocolate chips, or on the couch and you just ate the whole bag of chips only to feel like - What just happened here?! I know I have...
We are were looking through new information and came across this article on "Mindful Eating". It was so impactful to me that I thought it might be something you struggle with too.
What makes mindful eating so special? Is it just another fad diet? Well, no. It's actually a very reasonable way to think about eating so you don't have to starve yourself or be miserable (like when you are on a diet).
Many of us know how it feels to be on a diet and fail. Diets are not really set up for long-term success. They are typically quick fixes to weight issues that focus on limiting yourself.
Mindful eating is different in that it focuses on how you feel while eating. When eating mindfully, you'll ask yourself questions like:
- Am I full?
- Am I hungry right now? or
- Why am I eating at this moment?
When you focus on these types of questions, you can be real with yourself. Maybe eating is a stress reliever, maybe you're bored, or you ate so fast that now you feel overly full (I know I do that sometimes).
According to Lisa Drayer, Nutritionist, "When getting started with eating more mindfully, sit down and unplug while you eat. Taste your food and pay attention to whether or not you are enjoying what you are eating. And become more aware of when you have had enough to eat".
Finally, Lisa says to focus on overall self-care. Becoming more in tune with ourselves and our needs, whether it's more sleep or more exercise, helps us better manage stress and deal with anxiety -- which can lead to a more mindful approach to eating, too.
When following this type of approach, you will focus less on stress or emotional eating, and more on what the reasons are behind why you are eating what you are. Ultimately, it can lead to weight loss without having to limit yourself.
Do you struggle with sugar cravings? There is an ancient herb, Gymnema, that may be something helpful to you.