Episode 4: Mindfulness, Mindful Eating, & Planning

Nutrition-You are what you eat! How to make mindful and intentional decisions about what you put in your body.

Brief summary of objectives:

● Define mindfulness

● Identify triggers that can lead to impulse eating

● Helping you to make more healthful food choices so you can feel your best

●Utilizing tools to plan healthy meals to help meet your goals

Topic 1: Mindfulness

● We may have different ideas or pictures that we think of when we hear the word “mindfulness”. Like I think of someone sitting on top of a mountain, totally secluded and sitting cross-legged with their hands resting softly on their knees and their eyes closed. However, you do not have to be in your yoga pants to practice mindfulness. o By definition, mindfulness is “the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something”. Also defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique”.

● Do you ever feel like you’re just on “auto-pilot” and not even sure how you got from one place to another? If this is you, you could benefit from incorporating opportunities for mindfulness in your day. o Like I said, you don’t have to be completely secluded on top of a mountain with no distractions to practice mindfulness. You can practice mindfulness anywhere. o It’s also important to acknowledge the challenges you are likely to face. First of all, there is NO way to completely quiet your mind. But that’s not the goal. You’re not trying to achieve some state of bliss or enlightenment, but rather you are just trying to pay attention to the present moment without judgment. o Secondly, your mind will wander as you practice paying attention to what’s going on in your body and mind at the present moment. But that’s okay! It’s also okay when your judgy brain tries to take over and wants to make you feel shame or guilt for the thoughts that arise. You can take notice of these kinds of thoughts, let them pass, then gently and consciously bring your mind back to the present moment. That’s the ultimate goal of mindfulness. Rather than constantly allowing our brains to run haywire, thinking about anything and everything, the goal is to return your attention again and again to the present moment, to the breath you are currently taking. The practice of “returning to the breath” is practicing mindfulness.

● Well that all sounds great, so how do you do it? o There are many ways that you can practice this, but one way is to just start off with taking a seat, ideally in a place that feels calm and quiet to you! o Next, set a time limit. If you are just beginning the practice of mindfulness, set an easily attainable goal like 5 or 10 minutes. o Notice your body. You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can kneel, lie down (although this might lead to a nap) but just choose a position that you can comfortably stay in for the time of your practice. o Feel your breath. Take notice of the sensation as breath enters your body and transitions through your lungs. o If you feel like your mind has wandered, acknowledge it, then consciously bring your attention back to your breathing. o Lastly, be kind and don’t judge yourself for what comes to mind. Just come back.

Topic 2: Mindful Eating

• How can we apply mindfulness to eating?
  • Mindful eating is the process of paying attention (on purpose) to your actual eating experience without judgment.
  • It is eating with intention and attention
• We all have irrational ideas about eating and food and not really even know why we adhere to them. We know that it may not make any sense in reality, but for whatever reason, if we violate any of these beliefs, we become very uncomfortable and anxious so we keep doing the same thing.
  • Ex: Have you ever been told or heard “you need to eat everything on your plate because there are starving children in ___?” When in fact, if you leave just three bites of a fast food burger, you could save yourself 100 calories.
  • Ex: We might have also been told that is rude to refuse food if it has been offered and that we should eat whatever has been prepared for us. However, this doesn’t make sense or if the food that is offered is high in sugar, saturated fat, etc.
  • Some other eating scripts that we may have in mind:
    • I MUST have something to eat to feel better
    • I MUST eat when others are eating
    • I MUST have three meals a day
  • The truth is, a lot of these thoughts surrounding eating times and amounts are outward focused-meaning that you are eating because you are concerned about what others may think of you if you are in a social setting and are the only one not eating or if someone thinks you are rude because you don’t eat what they have provided for you.
  • Mindful eating turns our focus inward to acknowledge and bring awareness to why you are eating. This process can also involve identifying and bringing awareness to any triggers you may experience that can lead to overeating.
  • Some common triggers and barriers to practicing mindful eating are:
    • Boredom
    • Feeling deprived
    • Lack of willpower
    • Lack of energy or feeling tired
    • Needing love and comfort
    • Feeling overwhelmed
    • Feeling upset and hurt
    • Environment
    • Certain activities
  • To combat some of these barriers and to incorporate mindful eating into your everyday routine involves 3 simple steps:
    • Stop Eating + _________
      • Checking email
      • Watching TV
      • Talking on the phone
      • Reading a book, magazine, or newspaper
      • Worrying about our day
      • Talking non-stop
        • When we Eat + we subtract taste, flavor and awareness of hunger
      • Eat sitting down
        • Most of impulse eating is often done while standing up
          • Food samples at the grocery store
          • Tasting food as you prepare meals
          • Sneaking bites of food from someone’s plate as your clearing the table
          • Grabbing a donut from the break room
          • Nibbling on something you see in the refrigerator while you’re getting something out
        • Practice slowing down
          • We tend to eat very fast due to our busy schedules and have been conditioned to eat at lightning However, slowing down is probably one of the most important steps to enjoying your food.
          • First, be intentional about trying to chew your food 20-30 times per bite. This may be difficult at first, so you can start by trying to chew 10 more times per bite. Watch the clock and try to make the meal last at least 20 minutes.
          • It takes seven minutes from the time you eat for food to travel down your esophagus and end up in your stomach. It takes another 20 minutes for food to digest. By eating slower, it allows your stomach and your brain to communicate with each other.
          • Try putting your fork down between every bite. Pause in the middle of your meal and assess if you still feel hungry, and if you still are, continue eating a little more. If you realize that you are satisfied, this is a good place stop eating and pack up the leftovers for the next day.

• Mindful eaters use the STOP method:
  • Savor
  • Taste
  • Observe (Look, smell)
  • Pause

Topic 3: Planning

• Plan your meals
  • Meal planning can aid in the preparation of healthy meals and snacks for your family and takes the guesswork and the stress out of figuring out daily what you are going to eat. Planning ahead of time can also help combat some of those impulse choices that may be convenient and a quick grab-and-go option, but may be higher in saturated fat, sodium and sugar. Knowing that you have baby carrots and hummus or a yogurt parfait ready as a snack at work can keep you from running to a convenience store or through the drive thru, which can save you calories, time, and money!
• Be intentional about your meals
  • Utilize tools like Pinterest, apps, or healthy meal websites to help keep some variety in your meal prepping and can keep you from getting bored.
  • Take inventory of what you already have in your kitchen first and try to build meals around those things before making your grocery list.
  • USE a grocery list! Going to the grocery store can seem daunting and can lead to impulse buys without some guidance. Stick to your list as best as you can since you made it when you had time and energy to think about it.
• Meal prep: you can make meals ahead of time on a Saturday or Sunday and have either the whole or at least part of the meal prepared, which can help save time and effort on busy nights.

Healthy eating means eating is flexible-it’s a way of eating that varies according to your hunger level, schedule and satisfaction. Giving thought to your food selections can help you make sure you are getting nutritious food, not overdoing it, and actually enjoying your food. However, a key caveat is to not be overly restrictive or rigid. Give yourself permission to eat sometimes just because you are happy, sad, or bored or just because it feels good. Trust your body. It will let you know how you’re doing if you learn to listen to it.