How to Eat Mindfully When Surrounded by Food all the Time
There’s no doubt that we are in unique place right now. With COVID-19 ever evolving, people are being required to stay inside and give up daily privileges such as going to work, school, social gatherings and other events. With so many businesses closed, families are having to get more creative in the kitchen and cook more at home rather than eating out.
This combination of being at home more and perhaps having more food on hand than usual can lead to mindless eating, which can take a toll on health in the long term if not addressed.
So what do you do? How do you feed yourself and your family well when there’s food everywhere you look?
With a few tips and tweaks, it is possible to nourish yourself and avoid overeating, even when there are stockpiles of food surrounding you.
Ultimately, the goal is for our eating to promote health, rather than take away from it. Surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly to some), it’s not all about the food, but about the mindset associated with it as well. Mindful Eating involves both paying attention and having intention. This means taking steps to recognize when you are hungry, making intentional food choices and observe the experience of eating.
Here are 10 tips to help you eat more mindfully at meal & snack times:
Eat based on preferences.
Tune into what your body is telling you it wants and honor that. Repeatedly ignoring cravings often leads to binges, which can backfire. If you crave something crunchy, eating yogurt will never satisfy this and you will find yourself continuing to reach for more until the craving is met. Eat what you love, and love what you eat!
Pay attention to your body’s natural hunger & fullness cues.
Silently assess where your body is at before, during and after eating to help you be more in touch with your body’s innate internal cues and prevent eating for other reasons such as boredom, habit or other external pressures. There is a helpful tool called the “Hunger & Fullness Scale” which ranks hunger & fullness on a level of 1-10, with 1 being completely starving, and 10 being so full you can barely move. The goal is to start eating around a level 3 and stop around a level 7 (just a guideline!)
Focus on balance.
Meals do not and should not just equal carbohydrates. In fact, protein is known to be the most satisfying of the three macronutrients, so being sure to include enough protein in your snack can help reduce overeating. Fat also increases the enjoyment of how a food tastes and feels, so including a healthy fat source is another great way to balance out meals and snacks and get the most nutritional density in.
Plan ahead.
Last-minute decisions rarely serve anyone well. Thinking about what you will eat in advance can help you be more likely to make healthier choices. You don’t have to know exactly what you will eat each day, but having a loose structure and plan can make a huge difference.
Stay hydrated.
Even mild dehydration can be masked as hunger, since your body feels deprived of something. If you’re not sure if you’re actually hungry, try drinking a glass of water first and then reassess. In addition, make it a point to keep a water bottle in sight to help remind you to be drinking enough fluids.
Focus on what you are eating.
Notice what the food tastes like, its smell, texture, temperature, etc. This increases the enjoyment of eating and can further help prevent mindlessness.
Choose wisely.
The foods you choose to eat should fuel your body’s ability to meet each day’s activities optimally. If you know that sugar makes you feel sluggish, for example, avoid eating it in the morning or mid-day. Snacks can be a great way to fit in more fruits or veggies into your diet, so consider including those and noticing how you feel afterwards.
Be aware of portion control.
It’s not a lack of self-control when you find yourself eating an entire bag of something that is right in front of you, it’s just that our brains are wired to eat until something is empty!! Try pre-portioning snacks and keeping extras out of your reach to help with this. At mealtimes, serve yourself a reasonable portion that should get you full, and wait 20 mins before going back for more food. And if you find you’re truly still hungry, by all means enjoy some more.
Set up your environment.
Temptation impacts all of us, and it’s not fair to ourselves if we are frequently surrounded by foods that are hard to resist. Try to avoid keeping tempting foods in the house, and if they are, work on telling yourself that you can have it whenever you want it, which may help decrease the strong desire to eat it right away. In addition, be sure to stock your kitchen with plenty of nourishing foods that will support your health, such as fresh produce, nuts, lean protein sources, etc.
Remember that snacking is not required.
Just because there is food in the house and other people around you may be snacking does not mean that this is a daily habit you must engage in. Once you tune into your hunger cues, you will be better able to identify if you have a need to eat. If the answer is no, feel free to pass it on!
Lastly—-never forget to be kind to yourself. Guilt is never productive in the long run, and no one else expects perfection with your eating.
Questions? Reach out via here or find me on Instagram @joannafoleynutrition
Read this full article originally published on Vitacost here: “Pantry Full of Snacks? Try These Mindful Eating Tips to Avoid Going Through Them Too Fast”