Tell us if this sounds like you:

“When I’m upset, I just want to eat ice cream.”

“Sometimes I eat mindlessly in front of the TV, only to realize that I’ve polished off an entire bucket of popcorn.”

“I hate the way junk food makes me feel, but I still crave it.”

“I eat too fast.”

“When I’m out with friends, I eat way too much.”

Sound familiar? These eating habits, which plenty of Americans share, are the result of mindless or emotional eating. Unfortunately, these habits end up hurting our bodies, not healing them.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindfulness is just another word for awareness. When we talk about mindful eating, we’re talking about paying attention … noticing what you eat, how you feel, and when you feel full. When you begin to do this, you discover some important things about your body and your eating habits.

The most interesting news? Researchers have found that eating mindfully can ease depression and anxiety. It can help people who struggle with eating disorders. It may even help Americans lose weight. How? It gives you a way to support your body’s natural ability to manage food. By paying attention, you help yourself recognize your emotional state and respond to your body’s cues.

When You Eat Mindfully, You Re-Imagine Your Relationship with Food

At Cooking Healthy, we encourage you to slow down, feel your emotions, and eat purposefully. When you do, you begin to notice a few things:

• Why you feel you need to eat, and whether it’s true hunger or simply an emotional trigger that causes you to binge.
• What you’re consuming, and whether or not it’s really serving you, physically and emotionally.
• The way your food smells and tastes, as well as the texture and crunchiness.
• The way your body feels during and after you eat – how full you are, and how the food affects you throughout the day.

Once you practice this skill for awhile, paying attention to your body’s cues and discovering what it really needs, you gain the following benefits.

• You learn to eat only when you’re hungry, and stop when you feel full.
• You begin to enjoy the taste of healthy food; you no longer want a diet full of sugar, fat, and empty calories.
• You know what foods make you feel good, and what foods make you feel miserable.
• You’re able to sit with your feelings instead of letting them drive your eating habits.
• You don’t pig out when you’re eating socially, and you don’t mindlessly chomp on snacks when you’re bored.
• You may even lose weight. You’ll definitely feel more confident about your relationship with food.

While mindful eating may feel strange at first, it can quickly become a habit – and one that enhances your experience with food.  

At Cooking Healthy Academy, Mindfulness is Part of Everything We Do

We believe in using the art and act of cooking to change our lives. If you’d like to learn more about our method, and what we can do for you, give us a call!