When you prepare to eat something do the following:
- Take a moment and get centered. Breathe. Focus your attention on this eating “event”
- Check in with your hunger and fullness feelings. Note them.
- Observe the food you have chosen to eat. Notice what it looks like, feels like, and smells like.
- Think about all that it took to get this food to you. The farmers, manufacturers, transportation vehicles, stock clerks, cashiers, etc. Silently thank them for their participation.
- Eat your food slowly, paying attention to how it tastes and feels in your mouth. Notice when/if the taste changes
- Check in again with your hunger and fullness signals.
- At the end of the “event,” give yourself credit the mindful efforts you made.
Practice these often and you will get the hang of it. You don’t have to use them every time you eat, but the more often you use them, the more mindful your eating will become.
