Mindful Eating Mindful Eating is another approach to being MINDFUL.

Principles of Mindful Eating Deliberately paying attention to meals without being judgmental Listening to internal processes and external cues Promoting balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance Being aware mentally, emotionally and physically With practice, Mindful eating frees yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking , feeling and acting What is mindful eating? Mindful eating is becoming aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating. It is becoming aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption. Mindful eating encourages you to choose foods that are both pleasing to your senses- exploring, savoring and tasting and to your body. Mindful eating also acknowledges responses to food including likes and dislikes without judgment. The principles of mindful eating include: Deliberately paying attention to meals without being judgmental Forgive yourself for things you’ve done that you regret or feel remorse. Repeat to yourself, “To the extent that I am able, I forgive myself for mindless eating, overeating, turning against myself.” It takes time to change habits. Just commit, kindly and patiently, to returning to the practice of mindful eating. Listening to internal processes and external cues On the next couple of slides we will discuss person eating cues and hunger Promoting balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance Being aware mentally, emotionally and physically With practice, Mindful eating frees yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking , feeling and acting

Personal Eating Why do I eat? When do I feel like eating? What do I eat? How do I eat? How much do I eat? Where do I invest my energy? Ask yourself Why do I eat?- Hunger, boredom, stress, getting ready to start a diet When do I feel like eating?- Ask yourself “Am I hungry?” when you feel like eating. Hunger is a physical feeling not to be confused with cravings, appetite or a desire to eat. Identify and reduce environmental cues. For example, put food out of sight or avoid areas that trigger mindless eating (break rooms). What do I eat?- Use balance- providing body with necessary nutrients, variety- eating variety of foods from different food groups and a variety of foods within each group, moderation- consider overall consumption not portion size or one particular items. How do I eat?- minimize distractions, savor each bit, put fork down between bites How much do I eat?- Stomach is only about the size of your fist. Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable and sluggish. Practice ending meals when you are satisfied instead of stuffed. Where do I invest my energy?- When you consume more calories than you need, the extra fuel is stored as to use later. Increase physical activity can improve stamina and function and make you feel better.

Hunger Physical Hunger Low energy/fatigue, irritability, headache, difficulty concentrating, nausea Emotional Hunger Mind, thoughts, feelings, memories, sense of self Sensory Hunger Eyes, nose, tongue, touch, sound Physical hunger builds gradually and occurs several hours after a meal. Eating leads to a feeling of satisfaction and physical hunger goes away when full. Emotional Hunger develops suddenly and usually above the neck. Emotional hunger is unrelated to time and persists despite being full. Emotional eating can lead to guilt and shame. Sensory Hunger includes the sight of food (ice cream on a hot day), smell of food (such as fresh baked cookies), taste of food (sour, sweet, bitter), mouth feel of food (texture), and noise of eating or noise present when eating (potato chips).

Eating Mindfully Acknowledge No right or wrong Acceptance Everyone’s experiences are unique Individual Moment-by-moment basis Awareness Aware and reflect effects of unmindful eating Experience Insight on how specific health goals can be achieved Someone who eats mindfully: Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying degrees of awareness surrounding the experience of food. Accepts that his/her eating experiences are unique. In as individual who by choice, directs his/her awareness to all aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis. Is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health outcome of that choice. Is aware of and reflects on the effects caused by unmindful eating. Experiences insight about how he/she can act to achieve specific health goals as he/she becomes more attuned to the direct experience of eating and feelings of health. Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and cultural practices and the impact of his/ her food choices has on those systems.

Conclusion www.tcme.org Become conscientious of the variety of colors in the foods you eat. Increase awareness of hunger cues. Stop being judgmental of our eating habits. More information on Mindful eating can be found at www.tcme.org Find balance in eating foods focusing on energy and satiety Acknowledge different types of hunger- physical, emotional, sensory Forgive yourself.