PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MINDFUL EATING “The Belly Rules the Mind.”
– Spanish Proverb
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we will not be able to keep our mind strong”. – Buddha
The stomach (belly) is no longer in control of the decisions we make about the amount of food we eat, what food we eat, and what time we eat. We are now developing a hunger-body-mind connection. How can you make a shift toward a healthy diet and eating habits?
In the past, for me, food has been challenging.
Mindful eating brings more awareness and presence to everyday eating habits. Bringing more self-awareness to the present moment helps to break old eating habits and stop selfsabotaging behaviours. Intuitive eating teaches us how to reconnect with our innate knowledge of how to nourish our bodies. Eating psychology embraces the psychology of the eater – the heart, mind and soul dimension of what it means to truly nourish one’s body and being.
Food pervades most things we do. It’s often among our first thoughts of the day. Our days are usually structured around a three-meals-a-daytradition, so it’s never far from our minds. Do you only eat on schedule, or do you snack and eat for any other reason? Do you grab for the closest, easiest thing in sight to overcome sudden hunger pangs, irritability, or crankiness, getting “hangry”, or to give you a quick energy boost?
Ways to create a healthy mindset around eating: - Slow down when eating to prevent overeating and get more satisfaction from the flavours of the food. - Pay attention to how hungry/full you are and start paying attention to your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues - Notice your emotions to see if you are making emotionally-based food choices
If you think about it, you realise that your eating habits affect EVERY area of your life. And most definitely the ones that are important for you to function properly: • Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight • Physical and Mental Motivation • Concentration • Energy • Confidence
By learning more about your relationship with food you will learn how to listen to what your body is telling you it needs. All seriousness aside, besides being nourishment for the body, food can be many other things. Have fun, make it experimental and exploratory, indulgent, and spectacular.
Definition: Food, substance consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and other nutrients used in the body of an organism to sustain growth and vital processes and to furnish energy. The absorption and utilization of food by the body is fundamental to nutrition and is facilitated by digestion.
Our ability to control or be effective in all the things above is directly linked to what we eat. Some of them are obvious, like energy and concentration. Sometimes we need a reminder that what we eat doesn’t just affect our physical health, it can also affect our mental health and wellbeing. Eating well can improve your sense of happiness and your mood. It is important that we must develop a healthy mindset when it comes to eating and making food choices. Instead of making impulse decisions about what food to buy, pause and think about the health and nutrition values of what you are buying. Then perhaps, grab an apple rather than a candy bar. Slow down and make better eating choices.
For now, signing off from a place of calm, joy, and love
AMANDA KIRKLAND
Personal Development Coach www.amandakirkland.com If you are interested in making positive changes in your life, let’s book an initial consultation call. Tell me your story and we can evaluate where you are right now and where you want to be and identify what’s blocking you from achieving the results you desire. My coaching programs use specific ENLP tools that can rewire unhealthy strategies and breakthrough existing challenges to find more ease and joy in your life. These tools are different because they uncover the root cause of surface-level problems. We will clear these blocks at the unconscious and cellular level allowing you to see effective results over a short time period. I am passionate about my work, because I’ve experienced firsthand the life-changing results and shifts that are possible when working with the unconscious mind. Email me at amanda@amandakirkland.com or visit amandakirkland.com
With more awareness and focus than ever on health and nutrition, we are becoming more thoughtful when it comes to considering both the nutritional and health benefits of what goes into our mouths.
26
ETOBICOKE LAKESHORE PRESS
