Mindful Eating - Is it a Trick or Treat?
Mindful eating is all the buzz lately. But is mindful eating a trick? Are we trying to trick our bodies into eating less? Or is it a treat? Is this something we only do when we have the time?
To clarify, mindful eating is not about tricking your body into eating less. True, some people find they will eat less when they are fully present with their food because they are tuning into their hunger and fullness. These folks are honouring their bodies' hunger-fullness scale and are truly stopping when they feel full.
Mindful eating is not a form of restriction! The intent of mindful eating is to be present with your food without judging your experience. If I am restricting, I am making a judgement.
Remember: when we mindfully eat, we are suspending judgement and swapping in an observational stance instead.
One of the wonderful benefits of mindfulness is that you may observe pleasant sensations and feelings while eating. Especially, when eating tasty Halloween candy!
However, the opposite could hold true. Maybe as you tune into the sensations of eating, you come to realize that you don't actually like the taste of Halloween candy. You might have been eating these bite-sized treats out of habit rather than actual enjoyment. (I know this would be very shocking...who doesn't like miniature candy?!)
Whatever your experience is, is just that: it's your experience - it's not good or bad, it's just what is. What it is could be good or bad, but you are just observing it.
There is a difference between observing experiences vs. judging them. Notice for yourself while you are eating!
Observational self-talk:"In this moment, I can taste the sweetness. I notice a silky sensation. I am observing memories coming up of when I ate candy as a child" |
Judgmental self-talk:"I shouldn't be eating this! It is too fattening. I have screwed up my diet again, this is just like every other time. I'm such a failure" |
We can be very hard on ourselves when it comes to the food we choose. A lot of us have used labels to categorize food as "good or bad". Food is not "good" or "bad", it's just food. Using mindfulness helps drop labels that make us feel guilty.
Lastly, mindful eating is not meant to be a treat! You can choose to mindfully eat whenever food is present. The choice rests with you. Sometimes we are really crunched for time and need to gulp down that meal before the next work meeting, kid's soccer practice, or whatever is demanding our time. However, are there perhaps more opportunities than not? I like to believe we are all capable of eating more mindfully.
If you want to experiment with mindful eating, check out my short (less than 3 minutes!) Youtube video for instructions on how to mindfully eat using your 5 senses.
For more on mindfulness, check out my free download: Mindfulness - an introduction to well-being with bonus activity!