We’ve all been there – that moment when you realize the bag is suddenly empty and you just sat down to have a small snack. Despite eating the entire bag, it’s likely that you’re still not satisfied. These moments often happen when we are multitasking, but can happen any time when we aren’t giving our food our full attention. Whether we’re eating out with friends, eating because we’re bored or stressed, or even just eating because it’s habit (“I always snack while I watch TV!”), our attention is divided making our bodies and minds much less likely to register what we’ve eaten. Rather than get frustrated and scold yourself after eating the entire container of oreos (again), it can be helpful to change the way you think about food. One such approach is known as “mindful eating.”

WHAT IS MINDFUL EATING?

Mindfulness is “deliberately paying attention, non-judgmentally, in the present moment.” By applying this idea to what we are eating, it allows us to be aware of what the food tastes like, to find satisfaction in the flavors, smells, and appearance of our food, to notice whether or not we are still hungry or if we are getting full, to recognize whether or not we actually enjoy a food, and ultimately be satisfied with less.  According to the Center for Mindful Eating, mindful eating is:

• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.
• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.
• Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without judgment.
• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

This process begins while food is being prepared – even just smelling food while it is cooking can help us to feel more satisfied. Combine foods with different colors and textures to make sure your eyes and mouth have plenty of variety. As you take a bite, notice how the flavors and texture change as you chew it and move it to different parts of your mouth. On swallowing, be aware that this food will nourish and provide energy to your body, and notice as you begin to feel less hungry and start to become full.

It sounds like a lot of thought and energy to put into something that has become so automatic, but it provides a completely different experience. You may find yourself realizing that foods you thought you liked have lost their appeal, and others have a flavor and depth you never realized. With practice, you may even realize your ideas of portion size have changed and you are satisfied with less as you actually take in all of what that food has to offer. In a world where we often eat for the sake of eating, mindful eating can be a wonderful step towards nourishing your body and yourself with food.

For more information on Mindful Eating, visit www.thecenterformindfuleating.org .

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“Some of us, while looking at a piece of carrot, can see the whole cosmos in it, can see the sunshine in it, can see the earth in it. It has come from the whole cosmos for our nourishment. You may like to smile to it before you put it in your mouth. When you chew it, you are aware that you are chewing a piece of carrot. Don’t put anything else into your mouth, like your projects, your worries, your fear, just put the carrot in. And when you chew, chew only the carrot, not your projects or your ideas. You are capable of living in the present moment, in the here and the now. It is simple, but you need some training to just enjoy the piece of carrot. This is a miracle.

“I often teach orange meditation to my students. We spend time sitting together, each enjoying an orange. Placing the orange on the palm of our hand, we look at it while breathing in and and out, so that the orange becomes a reality. If we are not here, totally present, the orange isn’t here either. There are some people who eat an orange but don’t really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future. They are not really present, with body and mind united. When you practice mindful breathing, you become truly present. If you are here, life is also here. The orange is the ambassador of life. When you look at the orange, you discover that it is nothing less than a miracle. Visualize the orange as a blossom, the sunshine and rain passing through it, then the tiny green fruit growing, turning yellow, becoming orange, the acid becoming sugar. The orange tree took time to create this masterpiece. When you are truly here, contemplating the orange, breathing and smiling, the orange becomes a miracle. It is enough to bring you a lot of happiness. You peel the orange, smell it, take a section, and put it in your mouth mindfully, fully aware of the juice on your tongue. This is eating an orange in mindfulness.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

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