Given we live in a society in love with food, why are obsessed with the latest diet trends and worse, why do we let ourselves feel guilty when we eat for pleasure? Let’s ditch the fad diets and negative feelings and learn to enjoy food by being mindful of it. The concept of conscious and mindful eating is not about what you can and cannot eat, but understanding what we eat and why.
Image: Spare Space
Food for thought: intentional eating
Listening to our body and taking ownership of habits is a great place to start the mindfulness process.
Have a think about these questions. Do you consider food as an act of taking care of yourself or rather an indulgence? Do you eat for nourishment or because it’s in front of you? Let’s apply consciousness and intent to the way we eat by dropping the comparisons, looking within and taking charge.
Image: Pepper Passport
Drop the comparisons
“Comparison is the thief of joy” Theodore Roosevelt
Yes, some people can eat donuts for lunch and lose weight and others can go on juice detox diets and gain weight. There are an infinite variety of viewpoints out there, so how can our bodies and reactions possibly all be the same? What works for others might not work for you, so rather than comparing yourself, engage and listen to your own body. When was the last time you celebrated your uniqueness?
Image: Dewaele
Look within
“A healthy outside starts from the inside” Robert Urich
Reflecting on our relationship with food is the easiest way to create change. In order to change our behaviours though, we have to first have to understand them.
For one week, write down your morning, lunch and dinner routines. Start with why you ate, when you ate, what you ate, how you ate, how much you ate and where you ate. Were you on your phone? Were you watching TV? Where you sitting at your desk? How did you feel afterwards?
Now look back at the week and reflect on your patterns and behaviours.
Image: Joyus Health
