Mindful Eating Essay

Behavioral Change
Mindfulness
Mindfulness unlocks your senses. It is the practice of being fully aware of what is happening within and around you in the moment. This is not easy to do! Practicing mindfulness helps people make better choices in regards to what and how they eat. There is a lot to learn here, but taking simple steps like noticing the smells, temperatures, textures and tastes of the foods in your meal is a good place to start. Mindful eating also requires you to reduce distractions such as physical, mental, social and emotional ones. People often find that they enjoy their food much more once beginning more mindful approaches to eating. Mindful eating also seems to improve food choices, in both what and how people eat. It essentially reshapes your relationship with food and makes eating more enjoyable because you learn your reactions to food preferences, habits and tastes.
Helpful Tips:
- stop the feelings of guilt or shame when eating, respect your likes and

Use a scale of 1-5 where a 1 is you have waited too long to eat and could eat anything and everything in sight and a 5 is you have over eaten and feel sick, bloated and tired. For the in-between numbers, a 2 or 3 is you are hungry but able to choose healthy foods you enjoy; 3-4 describes you feeling full and satisfied
- Use your food records to identify triggers that cause you to feel psychological hunger. These can be people or situations. Knowing your triggers is very important because they become stronger each time you reinforce them with food. You might have to express your needs for support and encouragement from certain people more clearly and train them by offering suggestions that fit your needs. Including them in your journey can strengthen your relationship and avoid hurtful miscommunications or resentment to your