Note: I have a short exercise for you today. So prepare either one almond/ /walnut/strawberry/any one berry from our food list before reading this. 

Put it next to you as you read.

Mindful Eating

Many times out of stress, we eat more and unconsciously.
The energy goes down faster, and stress in the body makes us feel we must respond to the stimulation.
And food, caffeine, and sugar are most often the solution.

Eat Out of Awareness

My wife is a mindfulness expert. And with her help, I adopted a lifestyle that is centered around mindfulness.

In mindfulness, we raise awareness of the experience that is taking place in the present. The here and now.
And with the help of this skill, we can identify whether we are approaching the fridge out of hunger and need to nourish our body. Or out of a lack of thought and stress that attacks the body.

Before we go to take another dish for lunch, for a piece of chocolate that will raise our energy or another cup of coffee to “wake up” – we’ll stop.

We will check with our body and with ourselves:

Where in the body do I feel the sensation?

Does my stomach signal me to eat… and in which location the body do I feel hungry?

Am I hungry or tired?

Am I hungry or stressed?

We’ll choose to eat or drink out of awareness for the present moment.
And not out of being on “autopilot”.

Practicing Mindfulness With Food

When eating, you can be in the experience and practice mindfulness while doing so.
Bring our attention to the colors, shapes, textures, smells, and tastes of food.

The following is the most famous practice in the world of mindfulness related to food. The practice is done when holding a small food with an interesting texture: Almond, walnut, strawberry, or any berry from our food list.

Choose one. Let’s call your choice “the fruit” for our practice.

The essence is always the same: to be present at the moment of eating until the end.

The Mindfulness Practice Instructions

Do you have your choice of food? Go and bring it now!

Hold the fruit in the palm of our hand. Or between the fingers.

Look at the fruit as if it is the first time we are discovering it. We will turn our attention out to the touch of our fingers with the fruit.

Pay attention to the texture of the fruit. To its different parts.
Let’s look at the fruit, and explore it.

What color is it?

Are there parts of the fruit that are darker or lighter?

Smell the fruit. And we will examine why we pay attention?

Does it smell? Is the smell pleasant or unpleasant?

We will put the fruit in our mouth and taste it. We’re not chewing yet.

Pay attention to the texture of the fruit in the oral cavity.

How is the fruit received in our mouth?

Consciously chew the fruit.

Pay attention to the flavors that are released. How does it taste like?
We will continue to explore the taste and sensations it creates in our mouths.

Notice the sensation in the body even when swallowing the fruit.

Does it sound a little strange to you to give so much attention to a small fruit or nut?

Well, this is a mindfulness practice. To be present in the experience of now, to concentrate on what is happening at this moment without judgment.

When other thoughts come to mind, we go back to focusing on the fruit (or any other food we eat and practice with right now).

And so, we also got ourselves some moments of mindfulness.
We also ate consciously, and it will also be easier for us to discern if we want to continue to eat or not.

Stopping the thoughts and being present in the moment allows us to raise our awareness and not act on “autopilot”.