Many people have heard of mindful eating, and for some, it is an entirely new concept. What is it? What are the three R’s of mindful eating? How does mindful eating contribute to a healthier lifestyle?
Learning about this new way of looking at your food intake begins with a mindset shift, which results in multiple benefits to your overall health and wellbeing.
This week, Beth Rush returns with her third guest blog post for Calmer to explore what mindful eating is all about. Here, Beth shares simple and effective strategies to enable you to enjoy this beneficial practice, and highlights how it contributes to better health.
What are the “Three R’s of Mindful Eating”?
The three R’s of mindful eating stand for:
● Recognise: Modern lifestyles often lead to eating at assigned times instead of in response to your body’s natural cues. When was the last time you felt genuinely hungry instead of sitting at the table simply because it was break time? The first R of mindful eating invites you to get back in touch with yourself.
● Respond: How can you feed your hunger in a way that nourishes you, avoids unwanted toxins and, above all, tastes fabulous? How can you satisfy your cravings while also nurturing good health through wise food choices?
● Reflect: After eating, take time to reflect on how your meal made you feel. Are you pleasantly full? Maybe you overdid it a bit? Do you feel good about your choices? If not, how can you choose differently next time?
Following the three R’s of mindful eating can transform your relationship with food. Instead of seeing eating as a chore or, worse, an enemy determined to pad your thighs and belly, you can once again see dining as a celebration, a nurturing of ongoing life. Instead of approaching mealtime with anxiety and guilt, you look forward to the opportunity to nourish your body and delight in the experience.
The three R’s of mindful eating can also come into full force during food-centered festivities, like the holidays. Following them allows you to savour those special, favorite treats all the more. Instead of gobbling down cookies and cocoa until you have a stomachache, you can savour each bite of sweetness and listen to your innate cues when your body cries out, “Hold on, enough!”
How mindful eating can contribute to a healthier lifestyle - and teach your children healthy habits too
Mindful eating contributes to a healthier lifestyle in several ways.
First, it takes your head out of the latest fad diet book and redirects its focus to you and what your body needs. While you may find certain approaches and lifestyles work for you, like vegetarianism or low-carb, you no longer feel bound to adhere to strict rules. There’s no more measuring portions or the agonising guilt that derails your good-faith efforts when you consume something on the latest “naughty” list.
Mindful eating is also one of the best ways to help your children develop a healthy relationship with food. Your kids imitate what you do more than what you say, and copy your habits. Demonstrating mindful eating at each mealtime by interacting with your little one and asking questions develops their attitude toward the dinner table.
For example, invite your child to help you cook, asking, “Why do we add slivers of kale to the soup?” Teach them to follow their innate hunger cues, too. If your child refuses to eat what is on their plate however soon requests a snack, ask what they don’t like. Suggest compromises instead of issuing punishments. For example, if your child only eats chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, suggest lentil pasta, adding carrots and peas or chopping greens into the bread crumb coating.
Mindful eating also minimises food waste, which is a big deal; it accounts for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, often because it is sent to landfills where it produces methane. Many communities lack composting programs and facilities, and managing it at home can drain the average family’s time and energy. However, mindful eating invites you to prepare and eat only what you need, thus reducing or eliminating waste.
4 mindful eating practices to try
The following activities invite you to explore the link between mindful eating and better health for yourself. Try one or all of them to improve your relationship with food.
1. Banish the Screen
While some brains can switch between activities faster than others, the ability to truly multitask is a misconception — research suggests it isn’t actually possible to simultaneously direct your attention to two things at once. However, how many people sit down at the dinner table to scroll through social media or email feeds or catch up on the evening news?
To enjoy mindful eating, focus your attention on the meal itself by eliminating screens. Banish phones from the table — you can always turn on the ringer if anticipating an important notification. Additionally, turn off the TV and play relaxing background music, if anything. Tune into the other people at the table with you, asking about their day and engaging in conversation between bites.
2. Interview Your Eating Habits
Part of mindful eating means understanding why you choose the foods you do. Many people often choose not to examine such habits, particularly if they tend to automatically pass judgment, which can kick up feelings of shame. Instead, create a space, in a journal or inside your head, to honestly answer questions such as the following:
● Am I truly hungry, or am I eating for another reason? If so, am I ok with that justification? For example, you might not be hungry when your work break arrives but choose to eat anyway because you know you need fuel to make it through the upcoming hours.
● How do I want to feel after I finish this meal? The answer is probably “better” — will your food choices accomplish that or leave you feeling worse? If the latter, how can you choose differently?
● Does this meal meet my hunger and satisfaction needs? What could I do differently? Asking this question as you finish your meal cues you into potential continued cravings, inviting you to explore why you want more and address the need if necessary.
3. Use Two Plates
Serving sizes have grown enormously, so much so that many people no longer recognise how little it takes to make them full.
Try this trick — use two plates at your next meal, the larger one you typically take and a smaller one. Fill your smaller dish with food from the larger, pausing when you clear the first serving. If you’re truly hungry for more, fill the smaller plate again. Otherwise, save your leftovers.
4. Savour Holiday Treats
The holidays are full of special treats, many of which you only get once a year. Depriving yourself can foster resentment and trigger binging behaviour. Instead, apply the steps of this mindful chocolate exercise to your holiday favourites, allowing yourself to fully savour the experience. You may find that one cookie does more for you than a dozen when you take the time to appreciate the indulgence.
How mindful eating contributes to a healthier lifestyle
Mindful eating contributes to a healthier lifestyle in numerous ways. It breaks the hold of fad diets over your psyche, redefines your relationship with food, and helps you to pass on healthy attitudes towards eating to your kids.
Experiment with incorporating these principles and exercises into your life, and experience mealtime blissfulness by mindfully choosing foods that nourish your body, mind and soul.
Beth is the mental health editor at Body+Mind.
She has 5 + years of experience writing about behavioral health, specifically mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
You can find her on Twitter @bodymindmag.