Here is a common scenario we all have experienced: You are working on a long-term project. It’s due today, and you’ve been at your computer for hours trying to beat the deadline. You’ve been holding off on eating, waiting for the delicious taste of something you crave. Finally, you take the first bite; it tastes delicious, just as you imagined it would. You take the second bite: a little less intense than the first bite but still wonderful and definitely worth it. Suddenly you get caught up in the text you’ve created on the computer. You look down, and the treat is gone. Your fingers are sticky, and you still have the trace of flavor on your tongue, so you must have finished your treat. You have just experienced the act of eating mindlessly!
What Is Mindful Eating?
Eating is a natural, healthy, and pleasurable activity when it is done to satisfy hunger. The bottom line is that enjoying a healthy lifestyle is not just about what you eat; how you eat matters just as much. Mindful eating involves paying complete attention to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. It is the difference between eating a meal and truly experiencing a meal. We pay attention to the colors, smells, textures, flavors, temperatures, and even the sounds of our food. We pay attention to the experience of the body. Where in the body do we feel hunger? Where do we feel satisfaction? What does it feel like to be half full, or three-quarters full? Do we really know?
The principles of mindfulness include paying attention, non-judgmentally, to whatever you are doing; being aware of what is present for you mentally, emotionally, and physically at each moment; cultivating the possibility of freeing yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting; and promoting balance, choice, wisdom, and acceptance of what is.
Someone who eats cknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat; rather, there are varying degrees of awareness surrounding the eating experience; accepts that her eating experiences are unique; and directs his awareness to all aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis.
To help you eat mindfully, the hunger/fullness scale, developed by Dr. Barbara Craighead, is very helpful. Dr. Craighead’s scale helps people gauge whether they need to eat by measuring their hunger. The next time you feel hungry or finish a meal; take a moment to rate your feeling of hunger or fullness on the scale. This is a subjective scale; it isn’t objective in the way that counting calories is. For that reason, it may be a bit more difficult to use. However, continued focus and practice will help you become more sensitive to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness.
The scale goes from 1, which is very hungry, starving and desperate, when your stomach is actually “screaming to you,” to 7 which is much too full; your stomach is stuffed, and your stomach may be “screaming to you” again, but the message is very different. In the middle is 5, which is mildly full, feeling satisfied.
Dr. Craighead recommends staying between 2.5 and 5.5, and never allowing yourself to get down to 1. Make sure you plan healthy snacks in advance and eat the snack if you drop below 2.5. Stop eating at 5.5. Remember, it takes 20 minutes for your brain to “know” that your stomach is full and satisfied.
Yoga and Mindful Eating
So, where do yoga and meditation fall in to this wonderful system of mindful eating? Regular yoga practice leads to ease in the body and mind, emotional well-being, mental clarity, freedom of breath, and self-awareness; these are all essential elements of any effective weight-loss plan and the keys to a lifetime of balance and wellness. Like mindful eating, the regular practice of yoga boosts your ability to feel what is going on inside your body. This awareness helps to detect not only whether your hamstring is tight or your shoulders need stretching but also whether your stomach is already full. Bringing that focus cultivated during yoga practice to your plate of food makes it easier to resist the temptation to overeat while reading, watching TV, or talking with a friend. Try to make your meal a meditation, tuning in to the taste, texture, and smell of the food.
One final piece of advice, focus on finding a balanced approach to eating and exercise that you enjoy and that can keep you healthy over the long haul. You will be so glad that you did.
Adriane Stein Kozlovsky, MS, RDN, LD is a Licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor, in private practice working with individuals, groups, corporations and nonprofits for the past 25+ years. For any questions, please call 410-870-LIFE (8433), visit www.ChaiLifeNutritionForU.com, or email akozlovsky@gmail.com.
