Mindful Munchies

BY LILI GOLDBERG

In today’s culture, it seems like society is moving from one fad diet to the next. Although we have evolved, and body positivity is trending, it would be naive to say society doesn’t idolize weight loss and “perfect bodies.” Social media has heightened the average individual’s desire to look a certain way and hop on these restrictive diet plans. How could anyone keep up with this? What if there was a way to have more food freedom while still staying on a healthy track?

Mindful eating is defined as being fully attentive to your food — as you buy, prepare, serve and consume it. More specifically, intuitively choose what you are eating as well as being present during your meals and snacks. This practice goes hand in hand with intuitive eating as well.

Intuitive eating is when you truly allow yourself to make peace with all food and follow an 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule is exactly what it sounds like! For 80% of the time, you want to make a conscious decision to eat things that will make you and your body feel good. The other 20% of the time is for your cravings.

It allows you to “tap into your head and give it what it needs.” If you want to have a green smoothie and eggs for breakfast… great! If your body feels like it wants to eat a big stack of pancakes… that’s okay too! When we put a restriction on certain types of foods or label them as bad we are adding to this idea that we need to eliminate certain foods to lose weight or feel healthier. There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” food.

In this ever-changing and fast-paced world, it can be hard to sit down and eat a full meal at your table. The practice of mindful eating promotes the idea that the more present you are, the more “in tune” you will be with your body and the choices that you make.

An article written by Harvard said, “According to a 2011 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American spends two-and-a-half hours a day eating, but more than half the time, we’re doing something else, too.” Although okay in moderation, eating while doing a completely different activity is not good for our mind.

“This mindless eating — a lack of awareness of the food we’re consuming — may be contributing to the national obesity epidemic and other health issues,‘’ says Dr. Lilian Cheung, a nutritionist, and lecturer at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

So how do we eat more mindfully? This involves letting your body catch up to your brain, knowing your body’s personal hunger signals, cultivating a mindful kitchen and understanding your motivations as well as attending to your plate. We are all guilty of grabbing the bag of Doritos from the pantry while watching the latest episode of Euphoria and before you know it, the entire bag is gone.

This is an exact example of what mindful eating is NOT. Were you hungry for an entire bag of Doritos? Probably not. Rather than listening to our emotions and acting on our impulses, discovering our bodies’ response to needing more fuel will benefit you greatly. Everything in moderation is acceptable, but when we eat out of sadness, boredom, stress or anger, it can cause us to go overboard.

Distracted eating is the worst enemy when you embark on a journey to practice mindfulness. We are all guilty of this. We do this when we eat whilst doing something else. Our attention is on our task, not the food we are consuming. Eating mindfully means you are fully present during your meals and snacks.

Most of the time we eat until we are too full. An article by mindful.org, says “The body actually sends its satiation signal about 20 minutes after the brain, which is why we often unconsciously overeat.”

These practices are supposed to be less stressful and eventually turn into a habit. So let’s talk about some ways we can incorporate this into our daily lives. Slowing down is the first big step. To begin, prior to going food shopping, make a list of things you are going to buy. This is how you will create the kitchen that you want to eat.

Going in with a plan allows us to make healthier choices and not be tempted by the processed snacks around us. If you fill your fridge with fresh produce, and healthier options than that’s what you’ll eat the majority of the time. If you fill your pantry with chips and cookies, then that’s what you’ll eat. It all comes down to what you surround yourself with.

If we allow ourselves to eat what we want in moderation, take time to listen to our bodies, and make consciously better decisions, we will get closer to this lifestyle. Mindful eating, along with intuitive eating, is the next step in creating a healthier relationship with food.

Photographed by: Taylor Kuszyk, Clare Connell Makeup by: Derek Ulrich