Mindfulness is a flexible and unbiased state of mind where you are open and curious about what is present, have perspective, and are aware of choices. Its awareness without criticism or judgement. It is a form of meditation that helps you recognize and cope with your emotions and physical sensations. How is it that food and eating have become such a common source of unhappiness? And why has it occurred in a country with an abundance of food? The primary reason for our imbalance with food and eating is that we have forgotten how to be present as we eat. The problem is not in the food. The problem lies in our mind. The our lack of awareness of the messages coming in from our body. Mindful eating helps us learn to hear what our body is telling us about hunger and satisfaction. It helps us become aware of who in the body/heart/mind complex is hungry, and how and what is best to nourish it. Mindful eating is natural, interesting, fun, and inexpensive.

Enjoy the Experience

You don't need to follow the mind diet to be thoughtful about eating. The premise of mindfulness eating is that we eat with attention and awareness, It's really the opposite of mindless eating. With mindful eating, there are no good or bad foods. But you're aware of how much you eat, and you eat food with intention. You're tasting it, You are noticing its flavor. You're noticing if it's satisfying or not. Over time, excess food starts to fall away, and people who need to lose weight discover they're consuming fewer calories. Mindfulness actually incorporates a little meditation – but it takes less than a minute

Understanding Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating involves paying full attention to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. It allows you to pay attention to the colors, smells, textures, flavors, temperatures, and even the sounds  of our food. We pay attention to the experience of the body. Where in the body do we feel hunger? Where do we feel satisfaction? What does half-full feel like, or three quarters full?

We also pay attention to the mind. While avoiding judgement or criticism, we watch when the mind gets distracted, pulling away from full attention to what we are eating or drinking. We watch the impulses that arise after we've taken a few sips or bites: to grab a book, to turn on the TV, to call someone on our cell phone, or to do web search on some interesting subject. We notice the impulse and return to just eating.

Fundamentally, mindful eating involves:

• Eating slowly and without distraction.
• Listening to physical hunger cues and eating only until you're full.
• Distinguishing between actual hunger and non-hunger triggers for eating.
• Engaging your senses by noticing colors, smells, sounds, textures and tastes.
• Learning to cope with guilt and anxiety about food.
• Eating to maintain overall health and well-being.
• Noticing the effects food has on your feelings and figure.
• Appreciating your food.

Why Try Mindful Eating?

Eating has become a mindless act, often done quickly. This can be problematic, since it actually takes the brain up to 20 minutes to realize you're full. If you eat too fast, the fullness signal may not arrive until you've already eaten too much. This is very common in binge eating. By eating mindfully, you restore your awareness and slow down, making eating an intentional act instead of an automatic one.

Also, by increasing your recognition of physical hunger and fullness cues, you'll be able to distinguish between emotional and actual, physical hunger. Additionally, you'll increase your awareness of triggers that make you want to eat, even though you're not necessarily hungry. By knowing your triggers, you can create a space between them and the response. That gives you the time and freedom to actually choose your response. Mindful eating helps you distinguish between emotional and physical hunger. It also increases your awareness of food-related triggers, and gives you the freedom to. We don’t need to have a perfect relationship with food to become thinner and healthier people. Through mindful eating we can reduce the frequency and magnitude of our dietary imperfections.