Welcome to a special guided practice about mindful eating and its many benefits.
In this exercise,
It is best to prepare by having a piece of fruit or a cup of coffee ready to enjoy together as I lead you through this process at the end of my talk.
Eating slowly and with mindfulness is one way to add a healthy behavior to our routine.
To rid yourself of an old unwanted behavior or addiction,
It is necessary to replace it with a healthy one.
The more ways we can implement a behavior that makes a positive impact on us,
Mentally and physically,
The less likely we are to choose an old negative way.
Well,
We eat at least three times a day,
So here is a great opportunity to fill our day with healthy,
Mindful moments.
It will help you to slow down and appreciate one of the best parts of our life,
And that is the consumption of food that we usually take for granted.
We eat and drink on autopilot.
The process of eating slowly and mindfully will help us to stop ourselves before we eat for any other reason other than nourishment.
Mindful eating can be a pattern that is easily interrupted by just tuning into mindless eating triggers.
So think about what specific cues prompt you to start and to stop eating,
And does having a tough day draw you towards unhealthy food choices?
Become an expert on the emotional buttons that trigger you to eat when you are not actually physically hungry.
You can ask yourself,
Am I actually hungry,
Or am I bored,
Or anxious,
Sad,
Or lonely?
Then consider another type of self-care that is a healthier option besides grabbing something processed high-fat junk food that we associate as a treat.
We may just need a walk,
Or call a friend,
Or take a nap.
Take a moment to stop and breathe.
Observe your emotions and thoughts.
Open up to different possibilities and choices.
And then proceed with kindness and patience for yourself.
Mindfulness is about investigating without judgment and instead with an open beginner's mind.
This is an opportunity to learn the steps to eating with full awareness and intention.
Let's begin by sitting with our cup of coffee or a piece of fruit.
Firstly,
Notice what pops into your head.
Do you have any feelings or memories associated with this food or drink?
Next,
It is important to consider the path,
The path it took to arrive here and right in front of you.
Whether it is a coffee bean or a piece of fruit,
It began as a seed in the ground on a farm long before it reached your plate.
Take a mindful moment to consider the type of soil.
It may have began in an organic farm where great effort was involved to create that organic,
Fertile ground and maybe the farm had been passed down to generations of the same family.
How many times did the sun's rays shine down on the leaves of the plant?
And then how many times did the moon rise and shine its light?
How many days and nights went by to create this food or coffee bean?
How much rain or water fell onto the soil?
Who harvested it?
Think of the trucker even that drove the pallets to the city and then the grocer that put it all on display until you came along and picked it up and placed it into your shopping cart.
Mindful eating continues at the store when you stop to examine produce or read labels of ingredients,
Checking calories,
Checking all the details and choosing fresh quality ingredients for your meals.
And now let's fully engage your senses.
Begin by noticing the temperature of the fruit or cup through our sense of touch.
Look at it now under the light or in the shade,
See how it looks from different angles and smell the aroma as if for the first time.
Continue using this beginner's mind,
Feeling what it's like.
Touch it with a finger or thumb or a fork,
Poke it,
Notice the texture.
Time to taste the food or drink and slowly allow your taste buds to activate before you actually bite down and start chewing or sipping.
Ask yourself if your mind is truly present so you can enjoy it fully.
Thinking about how the nutrients from the fruit and the caffeine from the coffee nourish and affect your body and how it provides energy and vitamins to fight disease,
Build strength,
Maintain internal functions.
Does it make a sound when you bite down on the fruit or slurp the drink?
What does this sound like?
Notice how you eat too.
Do you put your fork down between bites?
Are you a fast eater or a slow eater?
Are you stuck in a mindless habit eating the same time and the same thing each day?
Do you always multitask while you eat?
Do you have any ingrained habits around your snacking?
Do you have judgmental thoughts like,
Oh,
I'm so lazy,
I should lose weight,
Whatever,
Different thoughts that might lead to a food binge?
Consider where you eat.
Rather than on the run or in your car,
Take the time to sit at a table or on a comfortable picnic blanket,
Even if it is just takeout food.
Create a relaxing environment to really enjoy and focus on your meal.
Take every night and occasion to fully enjoy this essential part of your life.
Look at your emotional state,
Look at your dining companion and ask if these are hurting or helping your efforts to eat healthier.
You have to know where you are first and accept the current conditions surrounding your eating habits before you can move into a slower,
More mindful and positive direction.
I hope this exercise is helpful to stay in the present moment that allows you to fully enjoy this wonderful part of life we sometimes take for granted.
Thank you for joining me and congratulate yourself for completing this self-care exercise.
