What is Mindful Eating?

I came up with the name “Emma’s Mindful Meals” because that is my goal for how you view food. Mindfulness can play various roles in your life and your nutrition choices may just be one of the most important. As simple as it sounds, mindful eating can actually be quite difficult. How many of you have obsessed over what you eat, how much you eat, when to eat certain foods, and then feel bad about yourself if you didn’t uphold those standards? Have you eaten your meal so quickly that you barely recognized the tastes, textures, and aromas of your food? Being mindful in your eating choices does not mean food consumes your every decision, but that you consider why you are eating and appreciate doing so.

The goal behind mindful eating is taking control of your food decisions by being at peace with the choices you made. A common misconception is that you have to eat perfectly in order to lose weight, gain muscle, be healthier, whatever your goal may be. Well I have some news for you…there’s no such thing as “perfect” eating and this is such a good thing! Take reassurance in the fact you can still live a healthy lifestyle without sticking to a strict diet regimen.

How do you control your food choices instead of letting food control you? First, you need to put your health goals in perspective. What exactly are you trying to achieve? Once you have your goal established, then you can set up a successful foundation to how you will go about your food choices. If your goal is to lose weight, then take a look at what you are currently eating; if your diet consists of high-fat, high-sugar, or processed food, then take pride in making the *tough* decision to integrate more whole-food options into your meals. If you want to gain muscle, you may need to evaluate the percentage of macronutrients you are consuming. While protein, fat, and carbohydrates are all equally important, you should make a conscious effort to obtain more protein at each of your meals. Having a direct goal will set you up for realistic success rather than attempting to change your food choices with no set plan.

Remember that food is fuel! Don’t be afraid to eat, and really eat, when you are hungry! Some days you will be hungrier than others and that is perfectly OK. Listen to your body and never restrict yourself. If you are very active, it’s that time of the month ladies, or you did not eat enough the previous day, your hunger cues are your body’s way of telling you to please eat more. Take your time to eat and thoroughly enjoy your food. I know this is way easier said than done with everyone’s busy schedules, but once I dedicated my meal times to just eating, I’ve felt more energized for what I have planned ahead. Sometimes you just need at least 20 minutes to relax and taste your food.

I love this advice from Harvard Health: “By truly paying attention to the food you eat, you may indulge in these types of foods less often.” This leads to my next advice to expand on what foods you consume. Now that you have focused in on your goal and have set time aside to truly experience your food, try to incorporate a variety of nutrient-dense options into your meals. Your body reaps so many benefits of eating several different fruits, vegetables, protein, fat, and carbohydrate sources. As the quote states, by mindfully paying attention to the foods you consume, you will notice distinct flavors, how foods make you feel, and will eventually get tired of what you usually eat. Take this time to experiment new foods to try! You are not always going to crave chocolate, get excited to eat salmon for dinner every night, or make peppers and hummus your daily snack. Eating dessert one day will not mean you will automatically crave dessert every night, similarly to how eating a salad all the time is not the only consistent way to maintain a healthy diet. Allow yourself to enjoy your favorite nutrient-dense foods while challenging yourself to cook different meals. Remember that many Americans are not privy to access a plethora of nutrient-dense foods, so I encourage you to appreciate each meal you have. Not everyone can be so fortunate to consume organic options because fast food is the cheapest they can afford. Recognize that the food available to you is precious and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The easiest way to refrain from eating all the sweets is to keep them out of your pantry. I seriously encourage you to watch out for all the added sugars that can sneak into ingredient labels. By not buying these processed products, it is so much easier to limit them in your diet. I will never tell you to restrict sweets completely, but they are not something that should be in your everyday meals. It will be really hard to cut back on these processed foods at first, but persistence is key! Once you’ve limited how much sugar you consume on a daily basis, you’ll find that they become sweeter and sweeter as you eat them in the future. Focus on buying whole foods – those that do not come in a package!

Until I started meal planning, I was the worst when it came to eating enough throughout the day. Looking back, that was so detrimental to my relationship with food. Since I didn’t take the time to account for my busy schedule, my eating habits took a hit. A normal-portioned meal just wouldn’t do it for me; I would eat way more than I needed to in one sitting just because I was overly hungry. Do not come to the table with this attitude! It is better for your digestion and glucose levels to eat smaller meals over the day rather than one or two large meals. While you cannot always plan when you will be hungry, make sure to pack snacks or a lunch if you aren’t able to come home to eat something during the day. The vicious cycle of starving yourself is clearly seen here. Your body releases hormones that signal you to eat. When you haven’t eaten anything all day, you are more likely to overeat. I will continually say this: Food is fuel! Starving yourself is never OK.

So, how do you refrain from overeating? Portion out your food. Don’t eat straight out of the container of grapes (I’m using this as an example because I have definitely done this. I mean who doesn’t love grapes!); portion out a serving on your plate and eat that first. This category perfectly falls into “mindlessly snacking.” Utilize portion sizes for what they were meant for. If you’re still hungry, then go back for more! Blindly consuming food is another main reason weight gain occurs.

I know all of us struggle with wanting to look a certain way and feel that the foods we eat will help us get there. While that is certainly true, you should never feel bad about yourself or view all your healthy choices as meaningless if you decide to have some pizza or a brownie or anything deemed “unhealthy.” You have developed an astonishing relationship with food once you are able to make whole, nutrient-dense choices the majority of the time, and know that it is OK to eat those treats every once in a while (or even everyday like I do at Christmas time!). This goes back to restricting yourself; the more you do so, the more you will crave those energy-dense foods. Give yourself a little grace and be at peace that you CAN and SHOULD enjoy these foods in moderation. Too much of anything is a bad thing, right? I’m sure you’ve heard that you can’t gain 10 pounds overnight, just how you can’t lose 10 pounds in a day. One Friday night full of “junk food” will not damage your progress.

Mindful eating takes practice. There will be many spontaneous moments that you did not plan your food around and that’s just life! Realize that food keeps you alive and functioning and know that it was all made to be enjoyed. My goal for you is to make a conscious effort at integrating healthier choices into your daily routines. Read ingredient labels, know what you are consuming, try new things, take time to eat, appreciate your access to food, and enjoy your favorite treats! Maintaining a flexible relationship with food will lead to the consistent results you wish to see. You will learn what foods make you feel great and those that don’t. You won’t revert to dieting mentalities. You will feel confident and in control of how you control your hunger cravings. Your brain is a powerful muscle; use it to make conscious, nutritious, and mindful choices!