“Those who know that enough is enough will always have enough.” – Lao Tzu
Research indicates that a slower, more thoughtful way of eating can help with weight problems and steer some people away from unhealthy food choices. Applied to eating, mindfulness includes:
Noticing the colors, smells, flavors and textures of your food
Chewing slowly
Getting rid of distractions like TV or reading
Learning to cope with guilt and anxiety about food
Experts suggest starting gradually with mindful eating, eating one meal a day or week in a slower, more attentive manner. Here are some tips that may help you get started:
Before you choose what to eat, try to become aware of what your body needs. Are you really hungry, or are you thirsty?
Set a timer for 20 minutes, and take the entire time to eat a normal-sized meal
Try eating with your non-dominant hand. If you are right-handed, hold your fork with your left.
Try using chopsticks to eat if you don’t usually use them
Eat silently for five minutes. Think about everything it took to produce your meal, from the sun’s rays to the farmer to the grocer to the cook
Take small bites and chew well. Close your eyes and focus on the sensory experience of tasting, chewing and swallowing
Before opening the fridge or cabinet, breathe and ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?” If the answer is no, do something else, like reading or taking a short walk
John Kabat-Zinn, a scientist, writer and meditation teacher, uses this famous “Raisin Consciousness” exercise with his clients to introduce the concept of mindfulness:
Sit comfortably in a chair. Place a raisin in your hand. Examine the raisin as if you had never seen it before. Imagine it as its “plump self” growing on the vine surrounded by nature. As you look at the raisin, become conscious of it:
The shape, texture, color and size
Is it hard or soft?
Bring the raisin to your nose and smell it
Are you anticipating eating the raisin?
Is it difficult not to just pop it in your mouth?
How does the raisin feel?
How small is it in your hand?
Place the raisin in your mouth. Become aware of what your tongue is doing
Bite ever so lightly into the raisin. Feel its squishiness
Chew three times and then stop
Describe the flavor of the raisin
What is the texture?
As you complete chewing, swallow the raisin
Sit quietly, breathing, aware of what you are sensing.
Paying close attention to your senses and your body’s reaction to the raisin may reveal insight into your relationship with eating and food.
