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.
