Mindful Eating Anyone? 

Well, I've been sucking back the green tea everyday. How about you?  Not that difficult.  There was maybe one day where I didn't get it all finished.  This is a healthy change I'm gonna stick with.   Every time I looked in the fridge and saw the Diet Coke I closed it back up and said, "No, no.  You haven't finished your tea today".

This week I'm focusing on a topic that really concerns me, and not just because of my misophoina.  It has to do with eating habits.  Mindful Eating is a term which basically means paying attention while you eat.  Paying attention to what is in your mouth, how much is in you mouth, how you chew and how you swallow etc.  I cannot tell you how many times I have watched my husband people inhale food so fast it's a wonder if they even tasted it.  They get a glazed look in their eyes and just keep tossing food in.  They don't even finish one mouthful before putting in the next.  I catch myself doing it all the time.  Especially with snack foods like chips.  One just follows the other right past my lips while I focus on True Blood instead of the delicious crispy goodness in my mouth.

Shoveling in food without properly chewing can cause the worst kinds of indigestion and stomach upset ever!  Even my kids don't chew!  One time my son threw up and I could clearly identify all the food that he had eaten in the previous 5 hours!  None of it was chewed!  Gross!  Mindless eating also looks horrible and usually results in a lot of gross noise, (and you know how I feel about that).

So, here are some of the finer points of Mindful Eating:

#1.  If you have to stretch out your mouth open as wide as the moon to take a bite, YOU ARE SHOVING IN TOO MUCH FOOD!!  This is usually a big offence when eating burgers and other large sandwiches.  Now, you can either try flattening the offending food down (think pannini), so it fits in your mouth or order a smaller sandwich!  Your waistline will thank you.

#2.  Chew your food!  I won't recommend a specific number of chews, but follow this rule of thumb.  If you would still be able to recognize the food item if you threw it up, you have not chewed it enough.  Stop and mentally examine what's in you mouth before you swallow.  If there are lumps, chunks or bits, KEEP CHEWING!

#3.  Do not add any new food to your mouth until the last bite is gone.  Check between your cheek and gums!  Lots of food hides there.  If you wanna go one step further, don't even load up your fork until your done swallowing everything.  This will not only help you chew more, but will slow down your eating allowing you to feel full faster which means you won't eat so much!

So there you have it.  Small bites, lots of chewing and quit shoving it in so fast!!  It sounds simple, but I have to tell you, it actually takes a lot of concentration.  I'm so used to eating fast, (a by-product of having children), it can be very hard to slow myself down.  But this week, we shall give a go.  Good luck!

Michy