Mindfulness

Mindfulness. It is a word that keeps popping up everywhere I look. Mindfulness in parenting, mindfulness when eating, mindfulness in anxiety-provoking situations…the list goes on. I keep thinking about mindfulness as the opposite of multitasking but it isn’t really that. Actually, it encompasses a lot more than that. Mindfulness is described as “an astute, nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. Mindfulness is a learned skill that is linked to many positive health outcomes, including increased immune function and decreased anxiety and chronic pain.” (1) 

Mindfulness is being present in the moment and thinking about your physical body, your surroundings, your emotions, and your current actions. When relating mindfulness to eating and nutrition, it can also involve what you are tasting and smelling.

In even more detail:

Mindfulness while eating is having an awareness of:

 

·         subtle flavours and smells of food

·         how the food looks on the plate

·         feeling relaxed or anxious

Mindfulness while eating is noticing one’s emotions:

·         When I am sad, do I eat to feel better?

·         Do I reach for a snack when I am stressed?

·         Does the food I eat change my emotions?

Mindfulness while eating is not:

·         Thinking about what you are going to do next

·         Eating so quickly that you don’t taste the food

Mindfulness while eating is recognizing when:

·         I feel full

·         I am hungry

·         there is too much food on my plate

·         there is the type of food around me that I tend to keep eating even when I am full

·         I am eating because there is food in front of me, not because I am hungry

 

Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can be used to counteract overeating. If I only eat mindfully then I won’t eat too fast, I will recognize when I am full, I won’t forget what I ate earlier in the day, and I will be aware of situations in which I tend to overeat. All these things will help me as I make decisions about when I am going to eat next, how much to put on my plate and why I am choosing to eat something.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1)   J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 August ; 109(8): 1439–1444. Development and Validation of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire. Celia Framson, MPH, RD, et al.

 

 

 

What Makes a Healthy Breakfast?

Snack bars, toaster pastries and doughnuts may be fast breakfast options, but a better morning meal is balanced mix of healthy foods that will keep you satisfied longer than your morning commute. For example, start with a source of whole grains—such as toast or cereal—and round it out with low-fat milk or yogurt and a piece of fruit.
Consider these healthy-breakfast tips that can help you start your day off right:

Reach for whole grains. Have a bowl of oatmeal, or choose a whole-grain cereal with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving and/or those that carry a seal identifying them as an "excellent" or "good" source of whole grains. Keep an eye on sugars too: look for cereals with less than 6 grams of sugars per serving.

Add a lean source of protein. Research suggests that, gram for gram, protein may help you feel fuller, for longer, than carbs or fat. Eggs, tofu, peanut butter, fish and lean meats all are good sources of protein. Other good choices include low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cottage cheese.

Make the most of fruit. A small glass of 100% fruit juice is an easy way to get a serving of fruit with your breakfast, but elect for whole fruits when possible, as they contain fiber.

The above is quoted from EatingWell.com

Quote

Before you finish eating breakfast this morning, you've depended on more than half the world.  This is the way our universe is structured.  We aren't going to have peace on earth until we recognize this basic fact of the interrelated structure of reality.
 - Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

New Year’s Resolution or Illusion?

It is that time in January again.  That time when we start questioning our New Year’s resolutions.  A couple of weeks is long enough for some of us to throw in the towel. Perhaps our resolution was too ambitious? Or maybe we talked ourselves out of it? Or maybe when daily life hit, our resolution was just too time consuming to carry out? Whatever the reason, now is a great time to re-evaluate!  Sounds exciting doesn’t it? J  Our resolutions, or goals should be considered through 3 different lenses:

1)      Is it realistic for me to achieve this goal?

         We must ask ourselves if we have the resources to even attempt to take steps to achieve our goals. Do we have the time? The finances? Do we know what the consequences of achieving this goal are? Do we know the steps we will have to take to reach our goal?

2)      Do I have a plan so that I can be successful?

         The only way to reach our goals is to have a plan. Since my field of expertise is nutritional counselling I will give an example of someone who’s New Year’s resolution is to “eat healthier”.  First we must put together a meal plan. It needs to have healthy food that s/he can find at a local grocery store.  Also, the recipes in the meal plan need to be something that s/he can make within the constraints of his/her time and ability. The plan would be to take a shopping list to the grocery store, buy the necessary foods, take them home and make the healthy meals during the week using the recipes in the meal plan.

3)      Why am I trying to achieve this goal?

         We need to choose goals that will increase the peace in in our lives. It is not wise to try to attain a goal that brings mayhem and suffering to our dearest relationships. If your goal brings conflict into your life then you need to ask yourself: Why am I trying to achieve this? What is my motivation? What is more important to me?

One of the worst things we can do is to talk ourselves out of action.  Once we have reaffirmed our New Year’s resolution we need to direct our thoughts and words to align with our goal.  It is too easy to allow ourselves to think about failing and soon enough we talk about it and before you know it our actions follow suit. Don’t let your negative thoughts distract you from your goals. Be successful in 2014!

Peace,

Nancy