How Mindful Eating Can Improve Your Wellbeing and How to Do it Easily

“Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.” - Sharon Salzberg

Mindful eating simply means being aware of the food you consume. When you choose to eat mindfully, you’ll learn to savor different tastes, appreciate food’s freshness, and enjoy the overall satisfaction eating brings.

Instead of judging what you’re eating, you simply take notice of the bodily sensations your meals create. Instead of scarfing down your food, you simply slow down and experience every bite fully. While it takes practice to remain present in the moment, once it becomes habit, mealtime becomes a whole new addition to your self-care routine. 

6 Great Benefits of Mindful Eating

Most of us rush around to meet our many family and work obligations. We often eat-on-the go, stuffing ourselves with fast food while driving to the next appointment. Often there’s little time to enjoy a slow-cooked, homemade meal-- or to even chew our food all the way!

Mindful eating gives you the opportunity to better understand your body’s fullness and hunger signals, as well as how different food items impact your mood and energy. Practicing mindfulness while eating not only creates a more enjoyable dining experience, it also becomes a true form of self-love.

Mindful eating offers a variety of excellent benefits, like:

• Helping you notice when you’re eating for reasons other than being hungry
• Prompting better, healthier food choices
• Digesting your food better by slowing down to eat
• Feeling full sooner and, therefore, less overeating
• Making meaningful connections to where your food comes from, from farm to table

The sixth, and maybe the most fun, benefit to mindful eating is slowing down to enjoy your meals and snacks. Taking a break from your hurried day will lower your stress hormones and reduce anxiety. 

In fact, some people equate the profound benefits of mindful eating to mindful bathing or even meditation. Anytime we stop to live fully in the moment, such as while showering with an aromatherapy soap, moisturizing with a quality cream or meditating surrounded by beautiful aromas, we are bound to feel more grounded, relaxed and inspired.

Begin Mindful Eating Today

Get started with mindful eating by choosing to focus exclusively on your food for just 5 minutes. Feel it between your teeth as you chew. Savor the sensation as you swallow. Connect with the vibration the food has to offer as you scoop up your next bite. Submerse yourself in the experience for just 5 minutes. Then do it again tomorrow for longer. 

Eventually, you can expand this mindful eating practice to encompass the entire meal from shopping for the ingredients to cooking your meal to the feeling of your stomach digesting the food afterwards. Truthfully, it's not hard once you commit to getting started.

Here are some things to consider with mindful eating:

Tune into your hunger: Consider why you are eating a snack or meal. Do you feel hunger signals? Or are you bored, worried, or sad? 

Eat natural foods: Nutritionists encourage people to consume foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. This way you’ll get to fully enjoy the food’s original taste and health benefits. Avoid processed foods, artificial colorants and foods high in sodium. Choose foods that are in-season locally. Eat more raw foods than cooked which can help in feeling the aliveness of what you eat.

Appreciate your food: Give thanks for your ability to eat (what a blessing it truly is). Pay attention to the shapes, colors, scents, and textures of your food. Reflect on where your food originated from - an organic farm, a family ranch, or the local market. 

Eat slowly: Sit down and focus exclusively on your meal rather than talking on the phone or watching television. Purposefully chew every bite until it's a soup-like consistency to assist your body in easy digestion. Put down your utensils in between bites. Listen to your stomach and not your emotions. Tune into your body completely.

Mindful Eating Is a Form of Self Love

Mindful eating is a wonderful gift that you can give yourself throughout the day. Slowing down to appreciate the simple pleasures in life, like eating, bathing and even walking, is a great way to begin living a more balanced, peaceful life.

The more peaceful you are, the more joy you create, the more love and kindness you find for yourself. Being mindful in one area of your life is bound to enhance other areas of your life, bringing you even more satisfaction and peace of mind.

Ready to make the switch to a mindful bathing routine? Experience our hand-curated, aromatherapy bundles today.