The Power of Mindful Eating
When it comes to eating and dieting, there can be a lot of noise when trying to determine what to eat, what not to eat, and how much to eat. From fad diets to conflicting nutrition advice, navigating the landscape of healthy eating can feel overwhelming. I am hoping to reduce the noise with some simple habits and knowledge. The purpose of this article is to share some stress-free tips and information for how to eat healthier and lose weight, without worrying about calorie limitations or specific diets to follow.
Understanding Your Body
People are different from one another. Foods that someone else can eat without problem may cause you indigestion, they might cause skin breakouts or some other ill effects that you may not want. One of the first things to begin to understand is which foods are right for you, and which may not be. This may require some degree of experimentation to find out what foods are or are not compatible, but it’s a simple enough adjustment to make: avoid eating foods that your body reacts poorly to. If you burn your hand on the stove, you don’t keep touching it. For example, I personally handle tomato sauce poorly, the acidity of it results in indigestion that is generally not worth the discomfort that it causes. Although I enjoy the flavour and the dishes, I need to listen to my body and reduce or eliminate the amount I consume in order to avoid the discomfort.
A skill you need to develop is how to listen to and interpret your body’s signals. The human body is very good at signalling us with cues on how and when to act within our environment; this includes when to eat, and when to stop eating. Listening to your body can be difficult when you’re beginning your journey, as you may be receiving a lot of signals from your body.
Cooking What You Eat and Eating Whole Foods
One of the simplest way to lose weight and have your body running well can be to cook your own meals and to use real ingredients when doing so. Packaged foods often have a lot of highly caloric ingredients like added sugars or fats. Sugar and fat are not inherently bad, but these packaged foods and meals can have an excessive amount, leading to a higher calorie content compared to real, whole foods.
For example, a 1oz (28g) serving of packaged potato chips can contain between 150 and 160 calories and up to 10grams of fat. An equal 1oz serving of roasted potatoes typically contains 30-40 calories and up to 1 or 2 grams of fat. Despite the fact that these two foods often have many of the same ingredients (or comparable ingredients, depending on what kind of fat the roasted potatoes are cooked in) the potato chips can have up to 4 times more calories. Another thing to note, is how much easier it is to over eat on potato chips. The ratio of ingredients used in packaged chips is scientifically derived through food science to discover the perfect ratio of fats, salts and carbohydrates to become “hyperpalatable,” a term used to describe the ability to eat more without feeling satiated. It is much easier to overeat potato chips than it is to overeat potatoes you cook yourself, regardless of the method.
Another benefit of cooking your own meals is control over the ingredients. When you make meals yourself you select all the ingredients going in to the meal, there are no hidden ingredients and you can be aware of the quality of the ingredients going into it. You will also be able to control the portion sizes of each meal, and cook a quantity that you can comfortably eat. You can also feel more confident storing away the leftovers to eat later.
To save time, you can cook larger quantities at a time, and meal prep for later meals, especially if you have the opportunity to reheat and eat meals at work. I find that rice and pasta microwave well, along with mashed potato. Depending on your fridge or freezer space, you can either separate your main from your sides in separate smaller containers, or put a full dish in a larger container. When meal prepping like this, you’ll be surprised to find out how much cheaper these meals are compared to fast food or packaged foods.
Stress-Free Approach to Eating
There is a common idea that “a calorie is a calorie” and that what you eat does not matter; as long as you’re in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. Although this is true, I find that it is not a very good approach to eating, and may lead to excess stress through counting calories and weighing food. This approach is helpful for people like bodybuilders or athletes, but for the average person trying to lose weight, it may just lead to eating disorders and a poor relationship with food. It is very difficult to the average person to overeat home cooked meals - cook at home and listen to your body when it tells you to stop.
Another drawback to counting calories is that it reduces thinking to just the numeric value of the calorie, 50 calories of sugar has the same amount of energy as 50 calories of fruit, but the fruit has other nutrients that the sugar does not have and the body will treat it differently, including when you will receive the signals from your body telling you to stop.
The end goal should be to minimize snacks and packaged foods, but it is not worth stressing yourself out over. Life throws us a lot at us, and people handle stress in different ways, including eating. If you try to do too much at once, cutting out all the junk you are a likely to relapse and lose your progressive. If you’re currently eating a bag of chips a day, cut it down to half this week, a quarter when you feel you’re able, a small bowl or a handful when you’re able to do that. We may find comfort in these foods and sometimes just a small taste is all you really need.
Practical Tips for Mindful Eating
There are many benefits to sitting and conversing with other people while we eat our meals. When we can, we should be trying to eat socially, rather than in front of the TV, scrolling on our phones or rushing so we can get back to x, y or z. When in the presence of other people, we are more likely to eat slower and with smaller bites, in case we need to contribute to a topic of discussion. Humans are social creatures, and the benefits of eating with others (assuming we do not have a negative relationship with them) are more than just about the food. It allows us to be more present in the moment, and hopefully share our thoughts and feelings with one another, connecting us better to each other and (hopefully) improving our mood. Even sharing a negative feeling with someone we care about helps take some of the load off.
When we eat slower, we have more time for our stomach has to process the information from our food and let us know when we are full. If eating with others is not an option, try to eat without a screen involved; take this time to take a pause and process your day so far. Take stock on your day and your life, where you’re going and what is on your plate (both literally and metaphorically.) Today’s fast-paced world can make us feel like we always need to be in a rush, but often we’re in a hurry to go nowhere. Take your time and enjoy your meal.
Conclusion
As we wrap up, it's important to emphasize the significance of tuning into our bodies and embracing home-cooked meals as foundational steps towards healthier eating habits.
Listen to your body: know what foods have negative impacts on your body and do your best to avoid them. Learn to listen to your body’s cues including hunger, fullness and digestive pain.
Cook your own foods: Do your best to eat home cooked meals and avoid packaged foods. Real foods are difficult to overeat, you have more control over the ingredients and there are fewer sneaky calories.
Minimize stress around eating: Do not try to go from 0 to 100 all at once, focus on nutritional quality of food rather than calories in food - it’s difficult to overeat on real food, do not beat yourself up when you misstep or you may spiral and relapse.
Eat mindfully: Take time and enjoy your meal. Eat with others while you can, avoid screens and use your mealtime as an opportunity to take a break from your day. Slow down your eating, and listen to your body.
When you know what you are eating, and take time to enjoy your food, you are much more likely to maintain overall healthy eating. If you stress about calories, what foods to eat or not eat, you are often causing unnecessary stress that makes it harder to keep going. Maintaining health is not something that can be quickly done and then neglected; it is a lifestyle to live. Take your time, build up a foundation you can build upon, until you’re where you want to be.
