With our fast-paced lifestyle, it’s not uncommon to spend our mealtimes multitasking, whether we’re eating our food on the go, scrolling through our phones or watching TV. However, stopping to be ‘in the moment’ when you eat has many benefits for both our physical and mental wellbeing. These include helping us to be more in touch with what we are eating whilst also encouraging us to slow down and savour the delicious foods we consume at mealtime.
Start incorporating mindful eating into your daily routine today by reading our top tips on how to get started below.
Start small
To ease into the practice of mindful eating, start by choosing one meal a week, such as Sunday lunch or your morning breakfast, to practice mindful eating. After practicing this for a few weeks, start to increase its frequency slowly and before long you’ll be practicing mindful eating throughout all your daily meals!
Turn off distractions
It’s easy to slip out of the moment when our phones ring or we have the TV on, so where possible switch off all distractions during your mindful mealtimes. This helps you to tune into your senses so you can really experience each bite and enjoy your own company or the company of those around you.
Check in with yourself
The best way to be aware of what you’re consuming is to check in with yourself in terms of how you’re feeling during mealtimes. Ask yourself questions such as; how are you enjoying the food? What does it taste like? What is it that you like about the food? This helps you understand how your body is responding to the food you are eating to help you recognise things such as the right amount of food your body needs and what types of food makes it feel great.
Take it slow!
A key part of eating mindfully is to take it slow! We suggest allocating 20 minutes of no distractions to sit and enjoy your meal by yourself or with friends and family. By eating slow, you’ll get to enjoy each bite and experience all the wonderful tastes and pleasures you get from the food you’re eating without having to rush onto the next thing.
For great recipes and delicious recipes to cook that you can enjoy when practicing mindful eating, head over to our recipes page.