DEAR FRIENDS,
Have you ever felt uncomfortable, bloated, or nauseous after eating a meal? Do you experience fatigue or “brain fog” during the day? Have you wondered if something you are eating might be causing these symptoms? If so, read on...
Mindful Nutrition is using a mindful approach in choosing foods that are most supportive of your body. Mindful Nutrition is not a diet. Mindful Nutrition can help you feel your best and optimize your health.
By mindfully paying attention to our body - how it feels and reacts to certain foods - we can learn to choose supportive foods. It is important that we eat foods that will keep our immune system strong and balanced, support our mental and emotional health, and fuel our body effectively and efficiently. We also need to take into consideration our own health history: any chronic conditions and/or food allergies and sensitivities we may have.
So how do we practice Mindful Nutrition?
A good place to start is to eat whole foods. Reduce the amount of processed food in your diet. Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables; whole grains and complex carbohydrates such as beans, lentils, brown rice, and quinoa; lean pasture-raised meats and poultry; wild-caught fatty fish such as salmon; healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts; and reducing added and refined sugars will bring about positive effects on your body.
Pay attention to how you feel before, during, and after a meal. Do you wait until you are “starving” to eat? Do you eat when you are not hungry, just to pass the time? When you are eating are you concentrating on your meal, or on other things - your emails, tv program, or other distractions? After your meal do you feel stuffed or bloated?
Record these feelings in a journal, noting the foods you ate and how you felt before, during, and after the meal.
When planning future meals, take into consideration what you experienced in the past. If you are finding yourself sensitive to certain foods, such as dairy, bread, pasta, refined sugar, heavy sauces, and caffeine, try eliminating one of these foods and see how it makes you feel. You could have an intolerance or sensitivity to some foods - it could be beneficial to reduce or eliminate them from your diet.
In the book, “Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life”, renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung of Harvard’s School of Public Health, describe the seven practices of a mindful eater. You can see Dr. Cheung describe these practices in this video:
By using a mindful approach to choosing our foods and eating, we can support our bodies, both physically and mentally, and achieve optimum health!
Be well,