Excerpt from Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute
By Elizabeth Shein, MSW, RSW

We all have to eat. It is a basic requirement for living. And yet there are few daily activities that take us on such a roller coaster of feelings: delight, satisfaction, joy, pain and distress, guilt and shame, longing and despair.

Something else trending these days is Mindful Eating. It is getting a lot of positive attention in the world of nutrition and weight control.

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• Choosing to eat food that is pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, taste and savour.
• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and fullness/satisfaction cues to help you decide when to begin and when to stop eating.

In our speeded-up world, we are often on auto-pilot when it comes to food purchases, preparation and eating.

Here are some mindful eating tips: (abbreviated) Read the full article

1. Slow down. Prepare your body and mind for what you are about to eat by taking 5 deep breaths before you start. Deep breathing calms the body and brings you to the present moment.
2. Try eating for a few minutes in silence. Choose to eat a snack in silence or dedicate five minutes of a meal to be in silence.
3. Put your fork down between bites. Try switching your fork to your non-dominant hand or use chopsticks.
4. Check in with yourself before, midway and after your meal or snack. Observe without judgement. On a scale of 1 to 10, am I ravenous (1), overly stuffed (10)? Aim to stop eating around 6-7 when you are satisfied, not full.