Friday, April 4, 2014

MINDFUL EATING TIPS FOR DAILY LIFE


  1. As soon as you feel hungry, take three slow and deep breaths.  
  2. Ask yourself, is it Physical Hunger or Emotional Hunger?  a little of both?
  3. Tune in to your body.  How hungry are you?  Is this a Small, Medium or Large hunger?
  4. Think about how much your body needs to be nourished and what kind of food it needs.
  5. Use your knowledge of yourself, nutrition, and health, to choose something to eat that will be nourishing and fulfilling.
  6. Notice how the food smells.  Are there different smells?  Is it sweet, spicy, tangy?
  7. Take a moment to look at it and notice how it looks.  If it is finger food, like a grape, go ahead and pick it up and look at it. Feel the texture. 
  8. When you put it in your mouth, take a beat before chewing, and allow yourself to taste and feel it in your mouth.
  9. Chew slowly and try to notice the texture, feel, taste, smell of what you are eating.  Really enjoy each bite to the fullest before you swallow. 
  10. Take some time to notice how you feel as you swallow and the food goes down into your stomach. 
  11. Give yourself a few moments to notice how your body feels now.  How hungry are you now?  Give yourself a chance to feel hungry before you take the next bite.
  12. Each time you take another bite, make it small and go through the process again, slowly.
  13. PUT YOUR FORK DOWN. This is not a race.  From time to time, give yourself a break by putting your fork down so that your body has time, to feel full. 

 © 2014 Sue Brekka, M.A., MFT        11040 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 208, Los Angeles, CA 90025           www.suebrekkamft.net