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.