Life happens quickly. We’re constantly on the go, mealtimes have gotten shorter, and work seems to permeate every moment. Instead of sitting down to enjoy a couple eggs for breakfast, we grab a protein snack bar or meal replacement shake and run out the door. A surprising side effect of these trying times? Lower quality nutrition, and overconsumption.
Our bodies, and therefore our brains, work their best when we feed them optimum nutrition and let ourselves enjoy meal times. One of the most effective methods of reclaiming your meals in the face of ever-shrinking time is mindful eating. While mindfulness demands very little from you, its returns in terms of mental health and nutritional well-being are massive.
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating is simply the process of bringing the practice of mindfulness to our meals. Our food is seldom savored. We are distracted nearly every minute of the day, those distractions detract the ability to enjoy meals we’ve prepared from the most important muscle of our body— the brain. We must recognize that to feel our best, we need to fuel our best. Quality ingredients paired with true enjoyment of food. Our health and overall wellness benefits tremendously when we take away distractions and eat with intention.
We can thank Jon Kabat-Zinn for the formal application of mindfulness. He is the founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a practice that encourages awareness of everyday interactions. According to Kobat-Zin, mindfulness is one of the largest challenges we as human beings must overcome. Mindfulness, or awareness is simply the process of deliberately, and without judgment, paying attention to the world around us. The goal of mindfulness, as a practice is to bring intimacy and intentionality to the world around us so that we may more deeply enjoy even the most seemingly mundane pleasures. With this perspective on mindfulness, we can now apply it to eating.
Eating Mindfully
The beauty of applying mindful eating to your life is that it takes practically nothing. In fact, it takes less than you already have. Try it with this simple exercise the next time you sit down for a meal.
- Clear your eating space of any distractions. If you typically watch a quick video or catch up on your social media during meals, We ask that you skip out this time.
- Take a moment to center your mind. Imagine that you are from another planet, pretend you’ve never seen the colors or textures of the meal you’re about to consume.
- Take a bite of one aspect of your meal. This may be as simple as taking a bite of one ingredient of your sandwich.
- Take note of as much as you possibly can. How does the flavor meet your tongue? What does your meal truly smell like? Can you pick out any individual seasonings?
- Repeat this process with as much or as little of your meal as you like. Take note of different combinations of ingredients. Consider the reasons behind your choice of those foods.
Mindfulness and Nutrition
After enjoying a mindful meal, take note of how your body feels. Are you still hungry? Why is that? Some have even realized by taking away distraction and being more in tune with their bodies resulted in weight loss. By being present, their hunger cues were easier to listen to. Full appreciation for a meal and weight loss? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner have never tasted so good.
Even further, our metabolic nutrition improves when we eat at the same times, listen to our hunger cues, and fuel our bodies with the correct amount of protein, veggies, and carbs. Our bodies are incredibly smart, and know when energy is needed. No more meal replacement shakes. Whole foods that build muscle, keep you satisfied, and provide sustained energy throughout the day.
Eating mindfully will naturally take you on an exploration of the nutrients available in your meals. You may discover that you’re missing key nutrients your muscle is craving. Filling those gaps can be as simple as changing your diet slightly or slotting in the right discount supplements, from AXEL Market’s wide selection.
Only you can understand your body and only mindful examination of your daily rhythms. Vitamin and nutrition supplements exist in perfect harmony with mindful eating, if you find that you’re lacking something small, a quick supplement can slot nicely into your mindful morning routine, patching up any gaps, and leading to a happier and healthier life.
