Mindful when eating

Mindfulness is based on ancient religious philosophies such as Buddhism and Taoism, where their teachings encourage you to notice your surroundings and understand the environment in which you are in. The teachings also stress for you to understand the emotions that you feel at any particular time point. These concepts may be applied to you and your feelings towards food and how you feel at meal times. As you will see there’s a lot more to it than just feeling hungry.

Recognising hunger. This first aspect of mindful eating takes time to come to get to grips with. It is simply becoming aware of your body, the huger sensations, and knowing when it is the right time to eat and what the right thing to eat is. Sometimes it’s best to think about the reasons why you’re hungry: whether your hungry because you’re used to snacking at this time, or if it’s simply just something to do. Am I hungry because I am genuinely hungry and I should eat, or am I hungry because that Danish pastry is screaming ‘eat me!’ from the

Getting inside your mind while enjoying your food

by Harry Fishpool.

Choosing and prepping food. This component of mindful eating is knowing where your food has come from and treating it with due care and attention. This step starts by having a look at the packaging: has the food got air-miles? Is it free range/organic? Are the portions small or large? These quick steps help you make more informed choices when choosing your food, and you will soon appreciate the journey your food has taken (and all the people that have made that journey possible) to be with you in your shopping trolly, and soon to be on your plate. Being mindful when cooking encourages you to open up your senses and take note of what is happening in front of you. Observe how your food is transforming as you cook: the exciting smells, the changing textures, the evolving colours. Take a moment to really appreciate what is happening as you cook, and as you develop a deeper understanding of this process, you will enjoy your cooking far more. Also, cooking is a time in which to slow down, and therefore, a time for you to slow down too. Even if your recipe is a 5 minute wonder job from Jamie Oliver, take your time about it. After all, it will still only take 5 minutes.

Meal time.

The most important factor in eating mindfully is – you guessed it – developing a certain mindfulness as you eat. It is also the easiest to start off with. For instance, setting down your cutlery after every bite and taking note of the flavours and textures as you chew; does it taste the same way as it smelt? Are the textures the same as when you started cooking? This is the time to build a healthy relationship with food. What are your emotions as you eat? Are they positive, negative or indifferent? Also, take note of the environment your eating in. When on your lunch break, are you in a busy café or have you found a quite secluded spot? It's important to make time to eat with others too. Humans are a social species and food has been a cornerstone of or civilisation for millennia. Eating with friends and family helps build