Remember how you used to eat when you were a little kid? Chances are when your plate was put in front of you, you took time to give your food the once over, inspecting it, smelling it and touching it before you ate.
You didn't just cram it into your mouth without thinking and swallow it with hardly a chew. You pushed your plate away when you were full and no amount of cajoling or threats would make you eat more. And as a rule, you didn't plunge headfirst into a bowl of ice cream when you felt sad or lonely.
That's because as a child you were your own dietary Jedi Master and you didn't even know it. You were a master of intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is the practice of mindfully listening to your body's natural hunger cues instead of dieting or emotionally eating - and it can help you lose weight and get healthy.
New research shows that women who eat intuitively have lower BMI's (body mass index) than non-intuitive eaters. They also report higher levels of appreciation for their own bodies, and were less apt to judge their appearance as critically as those who did not eat intuitively. There are more studies that show that mindful eating can help you get control over binge eating and lower cholesterol levels and risk of cardiovascular disease.
It's easier than you think.
Here are a few thoughts to get you started.
1. Pay attention. Eating can often be automatic behavior, like getting dressed or brushing your teeth. You have to think about what you're doing and focus on your eating. Dinner at my house used to be called the "festival of wolves." Everyone in our family descended on the meal as soon as it hit the table like ravenous beasts and literallay "wolfed" it down - despite my poor mother's entreaties to "take your time - taste it!" Before you pick up your first bite ask yourself:
2. Are you really hungry? Is your craving from the head or from the stomach? Is it emotionally driven or is it real hunger? Rumbling in the stomach, low energy, headache or dizziness indicates you need to eat something. Craving a pint of Ben & Jerry's all afternoon means you probably don't need to eat.
3. Am I aware while eating my food? My grandfather used to admonish us to chew each mouthful of food at least 20 times before swallowing. At the wolf table, that was impossible! My brother and I were astonished this was even possible (outside of taffy or JuJuBees)! Do you use all of your senses when you eat? Mindful eating means awareness of not only food's taste, but it's texture, smell and sound. It helps you slow down and get pleasure from your meal or snack.
4. Am I multitasking while eating? Eating while driving, watching TV, or working at your desk greatly limits your ability to pay attention to what and how you're eating. It doesn't do much for your digestion either.
5. Am I listening to my body's signals to stop eating? The same way you consider when to start eating, be mindful of when you should stop. You should feel satisfied, but not stuffed or full. Stop eating when about half your food is gone and ask yourself whether you're still eating to satisfy hunger or are you just continuing to eat because it's there.
6. Want to cheat? Go for it! Lose the diet mentality and make your peace with your food indulgences - chocolate, potato chips, french fries. It will help lower your intense cravings. But you must set boundaries for yourself. Use individually wrapped servings or measure your portions to stay on track.
Now take the intuitive eating quiz in the right blog column and see how you measure up as a mindful eater.
