Final Steps to a Mindful Meal
As soon as you are comfortably full, put down your fork and stop eating. Sit back in your chair and enjoy the pleasant feeling of fullness. Then ask yourself the following questions:
- What are you feeling?
- Are you disappointed that you feel full?
- Are you anxious or uncomfortable that you are not eating but others are?
- Is it better to continue eating with others, leading you to overeat and feel guilty because you ate until you were uncomfortable?
- Or, is it more pleasurable and rewarding to eat until satisfied, so that you feel content and proud for stopping at a comfortable level of fullness?
Carefully think about and examine how you feel during this experiment. Foster your curiosity about this experience and learn from it. It may help to journal about it, including your answers to the questions above.
And remember, practice is key to mastering the art of mindful eating. Eating mindfully takes the "power" away from food and gives it back to its rightful owner: you. It helps you reconnect with the internal signals that enable you to eat normally and reach your health goals.
For more information, visit Am I Hungry?, a website that offers tips and tools to help you integrate mindful eating into your life.
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About the Author
Katie Jeffrey, MS, RD, CSSD, is a registered dietitian, Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a columnist, and the owner of FitNutrition, LLC, in Stonington, CT. She provides individual nutrition counseling, sports nutrition counseling for athletes and educational nutrition presentations on various topics for all age groups. For more information, call 860-917-6131 or go online to www.fitnutrition.net. Join FitNutrition, LLC on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FitNutritionLLC.
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