Conscious eating

CONSCIOUS EATING

When you put food and drink in your mouth, do you eat with intent and purpose?

Conscious eating is about being AWARE of the foods you are consuming, and consume food with specific positive intentions. 

Perhaps you have noticed yourself mindlessly eating out of stress, boredom, fear, or for another reason. Or during a meal, you eat too fast without even really thinking about the food you are eating. 

With these habits already formed, it may be a challenge to transition into conscious eating. 

However, for your health, it is a challenge worth taking, and after a while you can create new lasting habits that will better serve you. 

  SOME REASONS TO CREATE CONSCIOUS EATING HABITS

Improve heath and well-being

Reduce stress

Lose weight

Save money

Food tastes better

Create a more pleasant eating experience

Learn to listen to the needs of your body

Recognize triggers and the meanings behind your body's cravings

Recognize actual hunger and thirst

Have more respect for your body and the digestion process

Learn to control your appetite and stop eating when you are full

Create greater appreciation for your food and health

Now that you have an idea as to WHY you would want to create the habit of conscious eating, now we can talk about HOW.

First: DECIDE

Decide how you can benefit from it, and then decide to make it happen. 

Start with the food you already have. Take a look at what is in the fridge and in those cupboards. 

Eliminate the food that isn't serving your health. 

When creating our grocery list, carefully consider the importance of the foods there and 

whether or not they are WORTH consuming.

YOUR BODY is VALUABLE. Treat it as so, and it will last.

YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH!

Simple as that. YOU are in control!

If you feel your eating habits are out of control, it's not too late to begin making small changes every day and reverse those habits that are not serving you or your health. 

Now lets say you have the healthy foods your body can thrive on. 

NEXT you COMMIT to pay more attention to your body, your hunger, your cravings, the habits you have that make you want to eat, habits of where you usually eat, the triggers that send you to the kitchen... etc. ALL DAY. BE AWARE of your actions and thoughts when it comes to food.

Put more thought into your meal planning and preparation. T

his doesn't necessarily mean more TIME, just more thought. Every meal should have a purpose. 

Try to find a sense of calm when you are preparing and eating your food.

Take three or four slow, deep breaths to center yourself before you take that first bite.

Take a moment to give thanks for the food you are about to eat. 

When eating, remember to SLOW DOWN! Try to make eating a pleasant experience. 

Remember, digestions begins in your mouth. Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly, and pay attention to your food while you chew. Try putting your utensils down while you are chewing so you can focus on what is in your mouth rather than hurrying to get the next bite.

After you finish, pay attention to the way you FEEL. 

How does the food you just ate make you feel?  

This will be a way of determining what foods your body likes and what foods you may want to steer clear of in the future. 

Once these practices become habit, you will likely notice yourself  looking forward to meals and appreciating your food more. Conscious eating also relieves stress and will realign your own personal energy. Your body is worth every effort to move toward optimum health and well-being!

Posted in: Eating, Food, Health