The Connection Between Mindfulness and Healthy Eating
When you hear the word mindfulness, most of us think about meditation and yoga. We don’t necessarily think about eating well and the connection between the body and the mind. When we are feeling stressed out and agitated at the world, most of us assume that it is because we have a problem with our mental state rather than turning to examine the effects of the foods that we are eating.
Truth be told, many people who claim to have insomnia in actuality have a caffeine addiction or something similar. We become very cut off from our minds and our bodies both, and we stop realizing how it is that the foods we eat and the drinks that we consume have an impact on our bodies and our state of mind.
When we are grumpy and agitated, sometimes it isn’t because we simply woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Sometimes it is an indication that we have a food intolerance or have had too much sugar, or maybe we drank too much coffee or too many energy drinks or soda for our bodies to feel content.
We miss out on so much. Our environments are so busy and flashy that we do not often use mindfulness techniques in order to pay attention to what makes our bodies feel a certain way. When we aren’t paying attention, the little things that we can do to improve our lives suddenly become unimportant. Sure, we could stop having an upset stomach every time we drink milk because we are lactose intolerant, but if we don’t slow down and pay attention to the connection there, then it is going to be close to impossible to change the way we feel.
Mindfulness can be practiced easily, by beginning to truly focus on our surroundings and the way we feel. One good way to begin practicing mindfulness in a way that will help us to develop a mind and body connection is to begin a food journal. When we are honest with ourselves about how we feel when we eat, and how we feel after we eat what we have eaten, then it becomes far easier for us to begin to understand how we are impacted by the foods we ear and our environment.
Mindfulness can help us to improve our relationship with food in another way as well. If we are practicing mindfulness in every moment, it becomes easier for us to make better choices. Rather than picking up a candy bar impulsively and allowing ourselves to eat it without a second thought, staying mindful and taking time to reflect before acting can give you the chance you need to weigh the pros and cons of your actions.
Do you need this candy bar for your survival? Will it make you feel good or will it give you sugar that could cause you to feel restless and irritable, and that will contribute to weight gain?
Mindfulness is an effective tool in all arenas of life, but most especially if you are attempting to carve out a diet routine for yourself that is foolproof!
