Mindful Eating - an effective way to relieve overwhelm

Mindful Eating - An effective way to relieve overwhelm this Christmas?

How do you feel as the festive season approaches? 

We missed out on Christmas last year so surely we have to be excited about this year – the pressure to have fun and make it ‘brilliant’ is definitely on.  Perhaps you are really looking forward to seeing family and friends BUT if you are anything like me you have absolutely no idea how you are going to get there and goodness knows how you are going to get through it.  There’s just so much to do.  As the festive season fast approaches, have you stuck your head in the sand with a rising sense of impending doom or are you rising to the challenge?  If it is the former you are not alone.

Either way, there is no getting away from that fact that Christmas is coming and you will have to make it the best ever.  You will go to the parties, buy the gifts, organise the meals and there will be increased pressure for everything to be perfect.  All on top of an already stressful world with work, family life, socialising (not to mention the global pandemic!), it may leave you feeling stretched, stressed and more than a little overwhelmed! This is not unusual.  

We all experience stress but it’s how well we cope with it that sets us apart.  Triggers can be big or small, rational or irrational but they will have that same automatic response setting the body’s sympathetic nervous system into action. Often known as ‘fight or flight’, this is the way the body responds to stress.  Adrenaline to keep you alive surges through the body to increase alertness, pumping blood around the body faster, expand lung capacity and engaging muscles. This intense activity uses up reserves of vitamins and minerals needed to manage the response. So, if you experience prolonged or frequent bouts of stress you might encounter;  

• Cravings for high sugar and salty foods

• Frequent headaches

• Lots of bugs or minor illnesses

• Feelings of exhaustion

• Struggles with your weight

• Feelings of anxiety or depression

• Acid reflux and digestive upset

 If you are experiencing any of these symptoms then ultimately, your body is under stress and the response is inhibiting your ability to digest. 

One way to restart your digestion is to re-engage your parasympathetic nervous system where you naturally rest and digest.  One way to do this is to eat mindfully.

BUT what is mindful eating and how can you put it into practise?

You probably know that mindfulness is a form of meditation that has its origins in Buddhism.  It is a way that you can reconnect with physical sensations and is often used as a strategy for stress, anxiety or depression.  You might already practice strategies like breathwork, meditation or gratitude journaling.  Did you know you can approach the way you eat in the same way?   

In basic terms this practise is about understanding and appreciating the food you eat, acknowledging it and allowing yourself to connect with it and how it may impact your body and make you feel.  It calms the nervous system allowing digestion to begin building stomach acid and inducing enzymes.  It is an excellent way to start to address mood disorders like depression and anxiety and food related behaviours such as binge eating or other eating disorders.  It ultimately, helps you to manage symptoms of stress.

How do you eat mindfully?

Adopting a more mindful approach to eating is relatively simple. Basically, you should be looking to take time to fully engage with the act of eating and pay attention to the way that food affect your body and mind. You could try:

• Taking time to enjoy food, free from distractions

• Noticing and responding to cues relating to your physical hunger and listening to your body when you feel full

• Identifying your triggers for eating and recognising the difference between hunger or something else

• Appreciating the colours, smells, sounds, textures, and flavours of foods and the sensory experience of eating

• Developing strategies for addressing your guilt and anxiety about food

• Prioritising overall health and well-being through your food choices

• Noticing the ways that the foods you eat impact your body and emotions

Sounds easy! So, why is it so difficult?

Well, eating can and is for most a mindless act.  We live in a busy world where you are often stretched for time. This can result in turning to convenience foods - take-aways or ready meals. You may often find yourself eating on the run, eating at your desk working or on the sofa in front of the TV after a busy day. It may simply mean that mealtimes have become something you squeeze into an already jam packed day instead of something you look forward to or even enjoy. Whilst you might already know that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to realise it is full, do you honestly always have the time to wait and see?

And, at this time of year, there can also be the tendency to over indulge creating feelings of guilt or shame which is a terrible cycle to find yourself in.

Although these reasons are why a mindful approach can be an excellent strategy, it can often be challenging to apply to your day-to-day life, especially during the festive season. As a result, rather than feeling better about your eating habits, you might end up feeling even worse! Stressful, right? Whilst your intentions to set aside time to eat free from distractions or plan and prepare meals that engage all of your senses might be good, ensuring that you are able to execute them can also be problematic.  When you are unable to stick to your plan, you may then experience the negative emotions contributing to your relationship with food, that you may be looking to avoid in the first place!  The emotional cycle can run deep.

How to adopt mindful eating

It’s important to go slowly and begin by understanding your own relationship with food, your nutritional needs and what you are looking to achieve.  Choose from the list below and make a SMART goal that you feel you can do consistently – this is more likely to instigate long term changes to habits for good health without guilt.

1.     Begin with your shopping list. Consider the health value of every item you add to your list and stick to it to avoid impulse buying when you're shopping. Fill 80% of your trolley in the fresh produce section, 20% in the wholegrains, tins, herbs and frozen sections and avoid the isles which tend to have more processed foods. Yes, there are likely to be ‘treats’ too but try to limit these at the point of purchase.

2.     Come to the table with an appetite- but not when ravenously hungry. Become aware of your hunger signals.  If you skip meals, you may just fill up on more unhealthy options rather than enjoying your food.

3.     Take slow deep breaths - 4 in, hold for 7 and breath out for 8, 5 times before you eat.  This relaxes your nervous system so you are completely ready to digest.

4.     Start with a small portion. Do not overwhelm yourself with a big plateful of food.  Get the balance of macro nutrients right on a smaller plate.  ½ vegetables, ¼ protein, ¼ wholegrains. 

5.     Appreciate your food. Pause for a minute or two before you begin eating to contemplate everything and everyone it took to bring the meal to your table. Silently express your gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy delicious food and the people you're enjoying it with.

6.     Bring all your senses to the meal. When you're cooking, serving, and eating your food, be attentive to colour, texture, smells, and even the sounds different foods make as you prepare them. As you chew your food, try identifying all the ingredients, especially seasonings.

7.     Take small bites. It's easier to taste food completely when your mouth isn't full. Put down your knife and fork between bites.

8.     Chew thoroughly. Chew well until you can taste the essence of the food. (Chew food to a liquid).  You may be surprised at all the flavours that are released.

9.     Eat slowly. Devote at least five minutes to mindful eating before you chat with your friends and family - after all, isn’t this exactly what the season is all about?!

 A SMART goal could look like this…

Specific – I’m going to chew my food to a liquid

Measured – to help my digestion and calm my nervous system

Achievable – I will allow a little more time at meals in order to do this

Relevant – this should help my stress levels and allow me to digest all the nutrients needed for the stress response.

Time bound – I will do this consistently for 4 weeks

If you’d like to try mindful eating in a safe and positive space to improve your health and digestion, then you may like to join my Feel Great in 5 online course, starting 10th January 2022.