A New Approach to Nutrition: Mindful Eating

The concepts of mindfulness and eating awareness have become very common and popular in recent years. Mindful eating originates from the philosophy of mindfulness, which is widely used in many beliefs and has a broader application.
Mindful eating is a method used to change eating habits and live a healthier life. This approach allows you to understand your eating habits, focus your attention on the food while eating, notice the taste and texture of foods, and not enjoy eating.

Mindful eating can be implemented with the following steps:

1. Honoring food: Find out where the foods in the meal were grown and who prepared the meal. Focus on eating without distraction to help deepen the eating experience.
2. Activate all your senses. Focus on the sounds, colours, smells, tastes and textures of food and notice how you feel while eating. You can take breaks while eating to stimulate these senses.
3. Choose smaller portions. Thus, help prevent overeating and food waste. If possible, make sure your plate is not larger than 22 cm.
4. Eat in small bites and chew food thoroughly. This way, you can fully experience the flavor of the food by slowing down the act of eating.
5. Eat slowly to avoid overeating. Eat slowly; It allows you to feel full, to see that you are full and that you can stop eating.
6. Don't skip meals. Going hungry for too long without eating can increase the feeling of hunger, leading to choosing the quickest and easiest meal, not always the healthiest.
7. Include plant foods for your health. Considering the long-term effects of eating certain foods, including plant-based foods is very important to reduce the harm caused by the production of animal-based foods such as meat and dairy products.

What are the Benefits of Mindful Eating?

• A healthier body weight
• A healthier heart
• Better digestion
• Better mood
• More energy

Sources:

1. https://bilimbunukonusuyor.sabriulkerfoundation.org/tr/makaleler/makaleler-detay/mindful-eating-yeme-farkindaligi-beslenmede-yeni-bir-yaklasim
2. Harvard T.H. Chan, School of Public Health. Mindful Eating. Erişim: 04.10.2020, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/mindful-eating/
3. 2. Köse, G., Tayfur, M., Birincioğlu, İ., & Dönmez, A. (2016). Yeme farkındalığı ölçeği’ni Türkçeye uyarlama çalışması. Bilişsel Davranışçı Psikoterapi ve Araştırmalar Dergisi, 3, 125-134.