Do you often feel like wanting to regain control over your eating habits? You probably need to learn about mindful eating! Many people are clueless about how this technique can change their lives quite literally.
In today’s world, where people barely get time to take care of themselves and their bodies, it’s important to learn about eating habits and how to incorporate those in our daily lives.
What is mindful eating?
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Choosing a good, tasty, and healthy eating routine is essential. In order to stay fit, it’s important to learn about mindful eating. So, let’s delve into it:
• Mindful eating involves paying close attention to your food and how it makes you feel.
• As already mentioned, it’s a technique that helps you manage your eating habits better.
• As per Healthline, it has proven to promote weight loss, reduce binge eating, and as a result, help you feel better.
• It’s also a form of meditation! Yes, you heard it right! It isn’t just restricted to your hunger or nutrition, but also helps in coping with your emotions.
• You can treat several conditions too! It can help you deal with anxiety, depression and various food-related behaviours.
What is portion control?
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Now that we are on the journey of mindful eating, which requires portion control, let’s learn about it:
• As per Mayo Clinic, portion control is the amount of food you put on your plate.
• It is important to practise it when you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off.
• If you’re practising portion control, it’s important to measure the amount of food or beverage you serve.
• You can take the help of a spoon or jar to do the same.
• Portion control also helps you digest better.
• It makes sure to prevent anxiety and make you feel good all day long.
• Additionally, it also helps you by controlling your blood sugar levels.
Reasons to try mindful eating
Now that we already know what mindfully eating is, let’s get deeper and know the reasons for trying it.
In today’s world, you just step out of your home and you have plenty of food options to choose from. Don’t you? Rather than paying attention to our meal, we choose our favourite TV show or scrolling through Instagram reels or play our favourite game.
This is when you realise, eating in today’s world has become a mindless act. Consequently, we eat fast and it’s too late to realise until you’ve already consumed too much.
Well, to be more specific, it can also decline your cognitive ability and the signals your brain follows. So, if you eat mindfully, there will be less stress, healthier food choices, and of course engagement in your senses. So, try it ASAP!
Tips to practise mindful eating
Let’s take a look at a few crucial tips to practise mindful eating:
• Pay attention to what you choose to eat! Making healthier choices is super important to feel fuller, but in a healthier manner.
• Take time and consume your food. It’s okay to sit on your table for 15-20 minutes, in order to savour each bite. This not only aids digestion but keeps you satisfied for longer.
• This one’s quite obvious – practice portion control. You can’t eat everything at once!
• Use smaller plates or bowls. This will automatically take care of your portion sizes.
• Pay attention to how you feel after eating as your mood can affect your eating.
• Start your meal with a soup, salad, veggies, and then have grains or cereals. You can avoid eating too much this way.
• There are a few foods, referred to as superfoods, that you can incorporate into your diet if you really want to try mindful eating. These foods include peanut butter, turmeric, ginger, aloe vera, garlic, probiotics and biotics.
Let us also tell you, even a small portion of peanut butter can make you feel full and keep you healthier.
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6 Ways mindful waiting plays an important role in portion control
1. Awareness about you body, hunger & fullness
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• Being aware of your body needs and cravings is the best thing mindful eating does to you!
• You’ll be able to differentiate between what your body is craving and what it actually needs.
• Therefore, it helps you avoid overeating and keeps you in tune with your body.
2. Reduce emotional eating
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• Mindful eating, as already discussed, helps keep your emotions on track.
• Hence, your eating habits are no more dependent on – jab mann kiya toh khaa liya.
• The increased emotional eating leads to overconsumption of food.
• This causes weight gain and feeling that you haven’t consumed enough yet.
3. You eat slower
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• This is the rule! Eating mindfully involves eating at a slower pace than usual (if you’re a fast eater).
• When you eat slowly, you chew slowly. This helps in better adoption of nutrition and feel each bite.
• Additionally, eating slowly helps you consume smaller portions of food, as you can feel each and every bite.
• It also gives your brain signals that make it easier for you to feel full and know when to stop.
4. Enjoy quality over quantity
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• As discussed, mindful eating helps you eat in smaller portions, hence actually feel and savour it.
• It involves appreciating and enjoying the taste, texture and aroma of your meal.
• By focusing on all these aspects, you start enjoying and feeling fuller in small portions instead of craving for more.
• So, mindful eaters focus more on the quality, making them feel more satisfied and hence, consume lesser portions.
5. Healthy choice
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• Mindful eating or eating smaller portions helps you feel good about your body and image.
• By practising it, you simply build a positive relation between food and your body.
• It gives you a better understanding of what exactly your body requires, in order to look better and healthier.
• It also makes it earlier to make healthier choices and get your hands on portion control.
6. Improved meal planning
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• Mindful eating encourages you to plan better when it comes to your meals and eating habits.
• You can be very precise about your meal chart beforehand!
• As per your requirements and fitness goals, you’ll tend to know what to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Therefore, you can aptly judge your portion sizes. Also, you won’t over-serve. Sounds good?
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