5 tips for mindful meals
One of the biggest shifts I made this year was in how I approach my meals. And let me tell you, it genuinely has changed how I eat, how I view my food, how I feel after a meal, and how I approach my wellness as a whole.
Life is busy. I know it is! I used to be the queen of snacking on the go, eating in the car or at my desk while working, watching YouTube while I ate my dinner or breakfast, etc… But you know what that communicated to my body? That I didn’t have the time to nourish it. Or that I simply didn’t care to.
I’ve since learned the tremendous impact that approaching your meals with mindfulness and intention can have on not just your mealtimes, but on your relationship with your body as a whole. When you take the time for yourself, your body learns to trust that you’re available to care for it. And in return, it will invite you into deeper connection and more consistent communication. So how do we do it?
Here are 5 ways you can begin approaching your meals with mindfulness:
1. sit down to eat
Before you do anything else, sit down. And no, sitting in your car does not count. This is one of the best ways to communicate to your body that you have the time! It’s a powerful way you can encourage your body to enter into rest and digest before you begin your meal.
2. pause before you start
Now that you’re seated, take a moment to pause before you dig in. This is another powerful way to help bring your body into that state of rest and digest, which will allow you to get so much more out of your meal. What you do in this brief moment is up to you! You could take a couple of deep breaths, say a prayer of gratitude for the food in front of you, notice each of the things on your plate before you eat them, or whatever else will help you pause and ground yourself before you enjoy your meal.
3. put the screens away
This one is huge in bringing intention to your mealtimes. We are so easily distracted and so uncomfortable just being that we’ve let work/social media/texting invade even our most sacred moments! When you’re scrolling as you eat, you’re once again communicating to your body that you don’t have the time to intentionally nourish it. That you’re too busy to be present with yourself and your food. The text, the email, the Instagram post, or whatever it is can wait, I promise!
4. remember it’s not a race
If you haven’t already picked up on the importance of communicating to your body that you have the time to nourish it, let me tell you again! When we’re rushing to eat our meal before heading out the door or jumping to the next task, it signals stress and urgency to our bodies. This wakes up our sympathetic nervous system (our fight or flight response) which slows digestion!
5. learn what your full feels like
This is so different for each person, so it’s not as easy as following a pre-determined serving size guide you found on Pinterest. If you’re like me, you may have been taught to never leave food on your plate, but I’m here to tell you that’s not always helpful or what our body needs. If you’re not sure what your FULL feels like, practice by drinking 3-4 glasses of water to get familiar with the sensation of enough. It’s a learning process!
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mindful eating and learning to tune into your body’s unique cues. These are areas I LOVE helping women grow and go deeper in! If this is an area you think you’d benefit from learning more about and having more support in, I’m always here to help! Feel free to drop me a message on the Contact page or even just send me a DM on Instagram. I’d love to chat more.
In the meantime, I hope this helps you take steps toward mindful eating and that you feel encouraged and empowered to start building a deeper connection with your body. It’s so worth it.
Talk soon!
-Audrey
