How Often Do You Eat Your Meals Whilst Multi-Tasking?

Think about that for 5 seconds…

In the morning, you might eat your cereal whilst your mind is thinking about the day ahead?

You probably eat your mid-morning snack whilst working?

Then at lunch, it is likely that you’re eating whilst talking to friends and using social media on your phone?!

And worse still, in the evenings when you might not even be in a rush at all, do you choose to eat whilst watching TV? Whilst texting friends?

As well as multi-tasking, your thoughts might be focusing on other things…

Planning the future or worrying about the past.

Whether you’re rushing through your day whilst eating meals or your mind is wandering off to other thoughts, you really have to question yourself…

Do you fully taste what you eat?

Is your attention solely focused on the wonderful sensations that arise when you are eating?  

The likely answer, in all honesty, is NO!

Don’t worry.

Read on.

We all lead busy lifestyles in which the basics such as eating can almost become a bit of an inconvenience. Something we simply must do.  

Our focus on multi-tasking or allowing our minds to wander onto other thoughts can mean we fail to focus on the present moment. We fail to fully enjoy simple pleasures such as eating. Essentially, we aren’t being very mindful.

Instead of eating mindlessly, take the time to consciously eat. Learn to eat mindfully.

Mindful eating involves paying a conscious attention when you are eating, gaining the full sensory experience, and acknowledging the wonderful effects eating can have on your body.

Learn to pay your full attention to each and every bite you take. Enjoy fully utilising your senses. Consciously pay attention to the appearance, the smell, the texture and the taste of the food.

In a nutshell, this blog is about learning how to enjoy food more by being mindful of the whole experience.

Now, this is our favourite type of mindfulness challenge! Read on…

Being Mindful Of Eating Encourages You To Ask Questions

When you practice mindful eating, you may ask yourself questions such as:

• Why do you feel hungry?
• What emotions are triggering the desire to eat?
• Is it unhealthy comfort food you are choosing or are you genuinely hungry?
• Is the food you are eating healthy?
• How eating makes you feel? Replenished?
• Where did the food come from? Consider the life cycle of the food that you are eating. Where might it have grown? Who helped make it? How was it processed in the supply chain?
• How eating makes you feel, how does it feel as the flavours explode in your mouth?
• How you feel after eating too – satisfied? Maybe even guilt?

Be mindful and dedicate time to eating.

Aim to avoid multi-tasking by turning off any distractions such as the TV and put your phone on silent.

And yes, you can still eat mindfully whilst sharing your mealtimes with friends and family; practicing mindfulness will enhance the overall experience!

To start with you might just want to choose one meal a day that you wish to focus on.

It could be your breakfast one day, lunch the next and dinner the day after – feel free to experiment over the next week with different meals.

Try to eat only when your body tells you to i.e. when you are actually hungry!

Learn to recognise your body’s personal hunger signals? This might involve moods (do you get “hangry”?).

Does your stomach grumble? Or it might just be lightheadedness?

Learn to spot your needs and respond appropriately with healthy meal choices.  

A Straightforward Mindful Eating Exercise For You To Try…

Throughout this exercise, the most important thing to remember is to slow down.

Make your movements slow and intentional.

Savour each and every moment of this mindful eating practice.

Holding

If you choose a snack that you can hold without making a mess, hold it in your palm. Lift your hand up and down to get a feeling for how much it weighs.

Look

Let your eyes explore the food. Look for any imperfections or unique features.

Smell

Raise the food up to your nose. Soak up any aromas that arise.

Resist the temptation to bite

Spend a few moments exploring the sensations of allowing it to sit on your tongue. What flavours can you taste?

Tasting

When you are ready, prepare to chew, noticing how and where the food needs to be for chewing.

Then, very consciously, take one or two bites of it and notice what happens in the aftermath, experiencing any waves of taste that rise from it as you continue chewing.

Without swallowing yet, notice the bare sensations of taste and texture in the mouth and how these may change over time, moment by moment, as well as any changes in the food itself.

Swallowing

Notice the urge to swallow as it arises. Wait a moment. Then consciously experience the sensation of swallowing.

Focus

How does the food make you feel?

Maintain a conscious awareness

How do you feel as you eat more? Learn to stop as soon as you’re satisfied.

The Benefits Don’t Stop There…

Mindful eating encourages you to choose healthy options, to fully enjoy the taste of the healthy food and helps you learn to understand when you’re hungry and when you’re full.

As a result, mindful eating is a fantastic first step towards helping you maintain a healthy diet or maybe even lose a few pounds!

The best part is, you can truly enjoy the taste of your favourite healthy meals whilst becoming more mindful of the present moment!

Why not try this exercise with different meals throughout the week? You can even extend the exercise to any snacks you are eating throughout the day.

Think of it as taking a mindful break – even if it is only 5 minutes!

Let us know what your favourite mindful meal or snack is by commenting below – we’ll choose the best one and post it on Facebook and Twitter (and if you want to, you could even write a guest blog about your experience).

Have a wonderfully mindful day!