Have you been known to mindlessly devour a giant bag or bucket of popcorn while
watching your favorite movie?
I have, unfortunately–as recently as last week at the latest 007 blockbuster!
In fact, those popcorn kernels seemed to simply disappear!
The bag of light popcorn with Himalayan sea salt–which I snuck in via backpack–
was empty before I knew it!
Or are salty, greasy potato chips your go-to crave busting favorite?
Bet you can’t eat just one of them, either?
Or maybe you prefer a glass of red wine, cajun spiced peanuts or a dark chocolate bar while
catching the latest episode of Scandal or Grey’s Anatomy?
Before I became a health-conscious vegan, ice cream sundaes loaded with toppings or
warm apple pie a la mode used to be my “indulgence” of choice.
We all have our favorites!
If you nodded “yes” to any of these scenarios, it’s no surprise.
Like many of us, I am guilty of mindless eating.
And I must admit, sometimes it feels so good to be so bad!
Of course, I am sure you have your own mindless munchie favorites.
Those just happen to be mine.
Studies reveal that mindless eating can go unnoticed and lead to an unhealthy relationship
with food.
Some negative eating experiences may include anxiety, boredom, guilt, and cravings.
When do you munch mindlessly most often?
Some people tend to munch when they are watching TV, driving, preparing meals or working.
I am generally pretty disciplined most of the time, but TV time seems to be my downfall.
Want to Eat More Mindfully?
Althought mindless eating can wreck a diet, mindful eating is not really about dieting.
It’s actually about intensifying your experience with eating.
It can bring joy and awareness to mealtime, so you can develop a better relationship with what
goes on your plate.
In my own life, I have found that stocking my home with healthy, organic, natural whole foods
and a few healthy snacks such as nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit and smoothie-making ingredients
helps me to lessen my cravings and eat healthier options.
Curious about the principles of mindful eating?
A few helpful mindful eating resources to check out:
http://www.thecenterformindfuleating.org/Principles-Mindful-Eating
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mindful-eating/200902/mindful-eating
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/eda/7Mindful.pdf
http://amihungry.com/resources/about-the-mindful-eating-cycle/
This enlightening infographic by Health Perch offers some useful strategies to help you make more
mindful eating choices every day.
Holiday season is full of parties, dinners and constant reasons to eat so it is an especially easy time
to forget our resolve and nibble mindlessly.
Hopefully, these tips should be helpful to you.
“How to Master Mindful Eating” on Health Perch
Do you have problems with mindless eating?
Have you found ways to eat more mindfully that work for you?
Share your tips, thoughts and comments with us.
Thank you for sharing these important insights. Mindfulness can add so much to many areas of our lives and this is a key one!
Thanks Deborah for sharing this informative blog post and Infographic about Mindful Eating that I’m pinning. It’s taken several years to evolve and grow into eating mindfully. It reaps big rewards. I no longer have to worry about gaining excess weight and am healthier and happier. When I eat mindfully, my body “knows when I’ve had enough to nourish me and I stop. Thanks for hosting the party. I so enjoy reading all the posts. Nancy A @ obloggernewbie.blogspot.com
Excellent infographic, very useful indeed! I’m always eating in a rush, keen to get on to the next thing, I can barely remember what I had for lunch today, so I can definitely use this advice. #healthylivinglinky
Great article and good and orderly information has been shown through infographic. I was a junk food eater few years before but it also creates so many health issues. After then I decided to control my diet or eating leaa junk and oily food and taking more proteins in my diet. IThis doest mean that I don’t eat food outside. One of my favorite place for having food is https://twitter.com/moonthaisushi.