Are we eating mindlessly

Have you ever given it a thought as to what, why and how we eat on a daily basis.

One should enjoy the food; at least don’t eat any food that comes your way when you are in a stress or hurry, because mostly you would end up eating unhealthy food (foods that provide only calories and no nutrition) and perhaps in large quantities. At such times you are eating – absent-mindedly, aimlessly, mindlessly.

Senior nutritionist Carlyne Remedios says that in our constant battle against time, trying to meet deadlines, and keeping up with domestic and professional commitments, we tend to forget the simple pleasures of life. ‘One of those are enjoying our food. But we are so obsessed with what to eat, and what not to eat that we rarely stop and think how we are eating. That is precisely what mindful eating is all about. Simply put, it is using all our senses to choose and eat food, which will help us satisfy our physical cues (our body’s signal for hunger) rather than our emotional cues (comfort eating). This way we learn to appreciate different flavours and aromas of food rather than simply wolfing it down to fill our stomach.’ she explains.

‘From a biological perspective, our bodies need the right type of food to function properly as diseases and compromised health conditions have been scientifically linked with malnutrition. Understanding how we eat, when we eat and why we eat is necessary to correct our unstable relationship to food. Today, satisfying hunger in urban metropolitan areas has become increasingly easier due to the 247 accessibility we have to food. We eat sugary, fatty, fried and salty foods not to fill our stomachs only, but to help us deal with stress and assuage other disturbing emotions such as depression, loneliness, boredom, anxiety and anger,’ says Dr Sonera Jhaveri, consultant integral psyche therapist.

Mindless eating vs Mindful Eating

Mindless eating is when you eat without realizing how much and how quickly you eat. Example – Eating an full bar of chocolate while working, finishing a large coke and popcorn while watching a film or television, or sipping uncountable drinks with nuts and chips in a cocktail party. Succumbing to unhealthy foods is a sign of lack of confidence and leads to addiction and a deranged blood chemistry eventually causing obesity and metabolic syndrome diseases. Before you consume any food or beverage, ask yourself, is it going to help me achieve my health, fitness and performance goals or not. If not, avoid it. The motto should be to eat with a purpose and not mindlessly.

Mindful eating on the other hand is when you pay attention to what you eat, how much and how fast you eat. This enables a balanced relationship to food and body size.

How to create a Mindful Eating habit:

Carlyne Remedios says, ‘By practising the below mentioned tips regularly, one will be able to eventually establish a new relationship with food. You will realise that there is no need to beat yourself if you indulge in that piece of cake because if you eat mindfully, you will satisfy your tastebuds and won’t go through the entire slice. Don’t stress your self into trying everything at one time. Try one thing at a time and practice it with different foods and encourage, your family to practice it as well. In time, you will notice that you don’t need crash diets to be healthy and keep the weight off.’

• Eat slowly and chew your food well. We learnt this when we were young and then forgot about it. If you start feeling full, do not eat any further as it takes about 20 minutes for the signal to reach from your stomach to your brain to say it’s full.
• Take gaps between bites. One way is to put your spoon down between each bite as this will help you to complete one bite at a time.
• Avoid watching television or eating on your worktable or talking on the phone. Concentrate on one thing at a time.
• Appreciate the food as you eat – its color, aroma, etc.
• Think before you eat – ask yourself if you are really hungry or any other reason (stress, loneliness)
• Remind yourself whenever you are eating out of your regular meal time – is it overeating?

Eating food to remain healthy is a mind game; play it well to improve your wellness.