What's the ideal diet for you? Ask your body. Practicing mindful eating involves subtle work that may be easier said than done. In a BeWell Q&A, wellness advisor Patty McLucas describes a class she teaches on the topic, leading students to quiet social cues and impulses that drive a person to eat for reasons other than hunger.
From the piece:
So many factors are at play in our culture here in Silicon Valley — and in the Western world — that result in a disconnect between the body’s natural sensation of hunger and the response to feed ourselves well. In other words, food has become disconnected from its primary function, which is to fuel our bodies.
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How can we reconnect our eating with our hunger?
Ultimately, the only method that works over the long term is re-sensitizing our instrument — that is, our bodies — to perceive true hunger and fullness. And we do this through learning the practice of mindfulness. We all know that babies cry when hungry and absolutely refuse food when full. If no longer hungry, a baby won’t eat even one extra mouthful — not even one bite of Aunt Hildegard’s prizewinning apple cake! So the good news is that we are all born with this capacity; however, it gets obscured by our upbringing and other conditioned habits. Mindfulness of the body helps us see that.
Previously: Mindful eating tips for the desk-bound, Six mindfulness tips to combat holiday stress and How mindfulness-based therapies can improve attention and health
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