How To Practice Mindful Eating

In our frantic society, it is not considered abnormal to eat and run. In fact, many of us are so rushed that we don't make time to eat, or eat whatever is convenient, regardless of its nutritional value. Multi-tasking has its place, but most of us would feel much better if we practiced eating mindfully.

1. Eat without distractions. Eating with the television on causes most of us not to notice when we are full. The same is true for eating at your desk or eating in between errands. To practice mindful eating, try to focus only on the food that you are eating and not worry about anything else that you have to do that day.
2. Eat slowly. Rushing causes you to not chew your food completely. This, in turn, impairs digestion as well as causing you not to enjoy the food that you are eating! Eating mindfully requires you to eat much more slowly.
3. Chew your food thoroughly. What most of us would think of as thoroughly chewed might not be enough for mindful eating. Since digestion begins in your mouth - both with chewing and by interacting with the digestive enzymes in saliva - it is important to chew food until it is almost liquid. Chewing food thoroughly allows you to absorb more nutrients and helps your body digest the food more thoroughly.
4. Stay silent while eating. While eating can be a very social activity, mindful eating is more of a focus on what you are doing - eating - in the moment. By remaining silent and trying to eat mindfully, you will have a greater enjoyment and sense of fulfillment from your food.
5. Think about what is in your mouth. Think about its flavor, its texture, how long it remains a solid, and whether you are enjoying it. To practice mindful eating, you must be aware of what you are doing, not distracted by something else.
6. Do nothing else while you are chewing. To correctly practice mindful eating, you must not even be holding your silverware in your hands while you are chewing. Clear your mind and your body of all other tasks except for chewing and concentrating on that experience.
7. Rest between bites. Again, when eating mindfully, you can't be in a hurry. Although we are all used to gulping down our food, mindful eating requires that you actually take a few seconds to rest in between bites. This will not only give you a different experience, but actually cause you to eat less while feeling full and satisfied.
8. Try mindful eating in a community. Resources such as the Center for Mindful Eating can help not only teach the process of eating mindfully, but provide a community of other people who are also attempting to practice eating mindfully. This can be very encouraging for beginners as well as for experienced mindful eaters.

Mindful eating is an ancient concept, but one that has largely been lost in our hectic modern society. Anyone who tries eating mindfully is likely to notice a difference - even if you choose not to practice it all the time, it can definitely help make you more aware of your eating habits, and more connected to your food.