4 Tips for Mindful Eating

“Have a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet.” A common phrase. What you eat has a lot to do with your health and fitness. That’s why it’s important that you practice mindful eating.

However, when it comes to food, it’s very natural for cravings to take over. You may hardly notice what you are eating and how much, let alone keeping a check on the calorie intake. And that’s where you start lagging behind with your health goals.

So, how do you let go of the cravings and make sure that you are following a healthy and nutritious diet and eating mindfully?

Well, that’s really easy! Here are four brilliant tips to help transform your eating habits and practice mindful eating.

Tips for Mindful Eating

Know What Your Body Needs

Most of the time, you don’t really know what your body needs to keep up with its nutritional requirements. So, the first step is know how much you should be eating.  This involves portioning your meals. An easy way of measuring is with your hands. Protein – (Meat, fish and pulses etc) should be around the size of your palm. Carbohydrates (if leafy greens) should match 2 hands together. And if this is starchy Carbs (root veg and potatoes, pasta, bread etc.) then this should match just one palm size or up to a full hand.  Fats (oils and nuts etc.) you want 1-3 thumb sizes.

These are just some easy ideas as to how to quickly measure your food out.  It’s a good way to begin. However everyone is different and we all have different genetics and conditions so to be more specific I’s recommend seeking advice from a nutritionist.

Prepare an Ideal Plate

An ideal plate is generally a quarter of proteins, a quarter of starchy carbs, and a half of vegetables. The closer you are to preparing this kind of plate for your meals, the more you are moving towards a healthier way of eating.

Keep switching the foods you put on your plate to make sure that you don’t get bored of the same food. And to ensure you receive all the nutrients you need from a varied diet with plenty of colour.

Keep a Food Diary

Keeping a food diary keeps you in control of what you are having and how much, and you can then be sure that you are not eating too much or too little. It also keeps you from munching on unhealthy foods at times you are unable to find anything interesting and engaging to do – boredom eating!

To know more about boredom eating, click here.

Eat Until You Are 80% Full

This is not just a tip for mindful eating but a secret to living a healthier and longer life. This has been advocated in “Ikigai” which is the Japanese Secret to a Happier and Longer Life.

Generally, we keep eating until we feel full. This often leads to overeating and wears your body out in  a long digestive process that can also lead to oxidative damage. So instead try filling yourself only up to 80%.  You will often find that you feel full 20 minutes later when your stomach has had a chance to catch up and communicate with your brain.

There is obviously no way to know when you are 80% full. Well, the trick is, stop eating when or just before you start feeling full.

This also means that you have to keep focused whilst you are eating and that will ultimately lead you to mindful eating.

So, these are some practices that you can follow for mindful eating and avoiding filling yourself more than necessary.

It’s just small practices that lead you to live a healthier and happier life. Follow them, and you are never away from feeling fit and confident!

For more fitness related tips or help in planning your workouts, please get in touch for a health consult. nicki@fitnessfaster.com.au