Mindful Eating

The challenge with resisting food is, well, the food. It tastes good. It looks good. It smells really good, and when we see everyone eating pizza, ice cream, and chips, we want in. Then we eat too much and swear that we’ll do better, but when the next time comes...

Harvard Medical School research suggests that the reason why we eat processed foods is because we’re anxious, stressed, mad, tired, sad, or bored. It turns out that the body perceives these emotions as chronic stress, prompting the brain to release cortisol, which can stimulate the appetite, says Dr. Lilian Cheung, a lecturer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s department of nutrition.

Cheung recommends that we make sure that our hunger is satiated before going to the supermarket, and further that we take a shopping list with us, and stick to it.

Another researcher, Kathy McManus, Director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital USA, recommends that we develop our awareness of our eating patterns by tracking our food intake for three days, paying attention to time, quantity, what was happening before we eat, and how we feel afterwards. McManus argues that this tracking will lead to us discovering our patterns and personal cues. For example, it could be that you tend to eat when you see others eat, or when a movie starts you need popcorn, or when you’re sitting in traffic you grab a snack.

Cheung recommends making eating as attractive as possible by designating a dining space in your home (remember the dining table!), using a good plate and placemat. She also says that people should take their time eating to experience flavours and aid digestion.

Cheung also says there is no need to eliminate things that taste good but aren’t the healthiest. Things like ice cream and cake are often connected to events worth celebrating. When you know they’re coming up, you can budget in those foods, then have a reasonable portion and “really enjoy eating each bite,” Cheung says.

Cheung adds that before you make any food decision, take a deep breath, and ask yourself questions such as, “Do I really want that?” or “How many treadmill minutes will that be?” Such questions prevent you from being swept away and bring you back to your plan, allowing you to make your decision. But it takes time to reprogram ourselves “It’s an ongoing practice,” she says. “You will build up your degree of mindfulness and over time you’ll see a major difference.”

• Topics:

• Health & Wellbeing
• Food