How often do you really think about what you eat and the way that you eat it? Are you really aware of just how much you eat and of what? Like anything else, you can educate yourself on the way that you eat and glean health benefits and aids to sustained youthfulness in the process.
Eating without really even being aware of how much we are eating has become the norm in these hectic times, therefore the consumption of extra and unnecessary calories increases.
Becoming aware of what you eat takes some practice, begin by paying attention to what you are eating and to those things that influence you to eat more, not only external factors, but those that come from within, as well. The following tips will help you eat mindfully, practice them daily:
• Take time to chew your food thoroughly, at least 20 times for each mouthful
• Put down your utensils between bites, making an effort to stop several times during eating to check in with your stomach
• Be aware of how you are feeling as you eat
By becoming in touch with yourself in this way, you will gain the power to decide whether to continue eating because you are still genuinely hungry, or to say enough and to push your chair away from the table.
Having this type of control over your eating means that it is no longer a matter of how much food is left on your plate, but about managing your enjoyment of one of the great pleasures in life without stuffing yourself and eating gratuitously.
Mindful eating is meant to bring enjoyment back to what you eat, thinking of your eating moment by moment. Remember:
• Slow down
• Become aware
• Eat as if this is the only food you will get all day
• Stop when you are full
Mindful eating takes practice because of the possible disconnect between your mind and stomach.
This is a disconnect that may have been going on for so long, you can no longer tell when you are full, however, do persist with this useful mind-over-matter technique and believe me, you will enjoy your food more and your waistline will surely benefit in the long run.
