Mindful eating not only improves physical health, but also mental well-being. This might not be news to you.
But what does the term exactly mean?
How can one train self to eat consciously?
What are the benefits and exercises work best when you choose to walk the path?
Nutritionist Dr. Nina Cohen Koubi will answer that for you!
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What Does Mindful Eating Mean, and How It Fits in Your Practice on Conscious Living?
Mindful eating may help you feel full after eating less, whilst calming your thoughts.
For the last three decades, women have been pushed to adhere to diets that limit their food choices and portion sizes.
According to Dr. Nina Cohen-Koubi, a nutritionist, “this has harmed not just their bodies but also their sense of self-worth.” “Therefore, for women deemed overweight, reducing weight was a fight, a tough war to lead, and it was never done since after decreasing weight, it had to be maintained,”
The practice of mindfulness contradicts this guilt-based worldview.
To shed light on this topic, we turn to Nina Cohen-Koubi.
What exactly is “mindful eating?”
“The mind and body are always communicating with one another.”
“Mindfulness is a philosophy of life in which we cherish each and every moment,” the doctor and dietitian explains.
To eat mindfully is to make the most of this opportunity to fuel one’s living organism.
Since we are more than just a physical body, we need to consider soothing and gratifying the many manifestations of the spirit that drive our hunger.
The mind and the body are always interacting with one another.
“Today we know that the key is not to make people feel bad by forcing them to follow a diet, but to help them by focusing on both the biological body and the mind,” says one expert.
Dr. Cohen-Koubi uses three mental acts in addition to those performed on the physical body (diet, exercise) to describe mindful eating.
It’s like a whole other world in there, the unconscious.
“It’s just underneath where you are right now, in your conscious mind,” we are told of the subconscious.
Basically, it acts as a control mechanism between one’s wants and their awareness.
Eighty percent of our behavior may be attributed to the unconscious mind. Because of this, we have to get him well again.
“Because of it, we are able to interpret our environment and form original ideas,” the author says about consciousness.
“This trio is important: you have to attempt to cure it or balance it to have a favorable influence on the biological body,” says the nutritionist doctor.
Patients want everything to go perfectly since they are taking the initiative to seek consultation in the first place, but they are also apprehensive about failing.
Hormones like cortisol, generated in response to prolonged stress, are only one example of how our emotions may physically alter our health.
When released into the body, certain of these hormones might stimulate hunger. Emotional regulation is key to regulating hormone production.
Which is why mindful eating offers several health advantages.
Using the senses to influence the subconscious: “The joy of seeing a beautiful dish with lovely colors, which smells wonderful and tastes relaxes the subconscious,” explains Dr. Cohen-Koubi.
“By expelling bad feelings, by producing, by being in full awareness in the process of eating, we calm the subconscious and we regulate the impulses and wants to eat,” he explains how he manages his food cravings.
If you want to eat significantly less, consider this: “The joy of eating is evident in the initial bites. When a person’s senses (of smell, sight, and taste) are fulfilled, the individual is more likely to feel content.
Better digestion is achieved by chewing food thoroughly and taking one’s time while eating.
Mindful Eating vs. Intuitive Eating; What are The Key Differences?
Although they are distinct practices, mindful eating and intuitive eating often work well together.
The premise of intuitive eating is that our bodies have the innate intelligence to tell us what we need to thrive.
It might be challenging to practice intuitive eating since it involves tuning in to one’s own physical cues and wants.
To determine whether you are hungry, how hungry you are, etc., you may just ask yourself these questions.
Having a strong relationship with your internal cues for hunger and fullness. Integrating attentive and intuitive eating is possible.
What are the benefits of eating intuitively?
Sounds too good to be true, right?
You can keep your weight under control by just paying attention to your hunger and desires, without having to go on any restrictive diets.
This is the hope behind intuitive eating, an approach that emphasizes common sense over strict rules to help people make peace with food and go back to a healthy weight.
Having guilt prevents you from having a clear head.
Does practicing mindful eating aid with weight loss?
The person’s urge to eat will decrease and they will be able to lose weight if they take mental action.
Since it’s more than simply a diet, and helps you to address stomach disorders, “eating in full awareness” might help you start fresh with your body and your nutrition.
Dr. Cohen-Koubi argues that emotional eating is caused by “negative self-talk,” or unfavorable ideas about oneself, which in turn trigger hunger and a desire to eat.
“Mindfulness is counter to the idea of shame that many modern-day women who want to reduce weight still have. Restricting oneself and demonizing food is a useless strategy.
The patient will be able to release some pent-up feelings with the help of an attentive doctor or dietician.
“She will feel comforted because she will realize that she does exist, that she is significant, and that her self-image can be restored.”
The nutritionist will also create an eating plan, which will include the following: “There are guidelines for weight loss. However, this strategy will be straightforward; it must not be too limiting. It will be modified to fit the individual’s needs.
Is there a secret to eating more consciously?
When giving counsel, “you have to take into consideration each individual and their daily lives,” says Nina Cohen Koubi. Mindful eating is achieved by:
- Put away the electronic devices: “Switch off the TV, put away your phone. Now you may eat in peace and quiet”.
- Take your time when eating to better connect with your emotions.
- To enjoy oneself.
- Creating colorful and flavorful meals is a great way to give yourself a treat and indulge your senses.
To put it another way: “Have fun, and you’ll eat less.”
What’s the Most Effective Workout?
Dr. Cohen-Koubi recommends many activities to aid with mindful eating in addition to meetings with a nutritionist and a meal plan:
When you wake up in the morning, give your body a little nudge by drinking some water.
“Every morning, the patient must think about the idea that she has worth in order to rebuild her self-image and her subconscious,” says Dr. Beck.
Through the act of creating, you may calm your mind and “lessen the storm of negative ideas.”
The release and soothing of the subconscious via writing, reading, drawing… can help control urges. When this happens, the individual will no longer be fighting for their life.
The vagus nerve may be stimulated by deep abdominal breathing, which can calm the patient and provide him or her the ability to recoup energy.
If you’re having trouble winding down at night, try this: “Visualization consists of envisioning a happy recollection, a positive term, or that you are in a soothing environment such at the edge of a beach.”
Regain your sense of self by doing the following physical exercise:
“First thing in the morning, while still in bed and with an empty stomach, put your right hand in opposition so that it touches your left foot and vice versa. By physically reacting, you may not only experience it, but also integrate your left and right hemispheres.
