For many of us, our experience with food comes with some sort of baggage. Maybe you eat to cope with stress, anxiety or depression. Maybe you’ve grown up with value-words placed on food such as “junk” and “healthy,” and told you couldn’t eat the “good stuff” (brownies and ice cream) until you finished the “yucky stuff” (broccoli and lettuce). Or, even more serious, maybe you or a loved one has struggled or is struggling with an eating disorder. Food is amazing and life-giving. It can be used as a means to celebrate, socialize, or simply just provide fuel for the body. Our relationship with food shouldn’t be a difficult one, it should be an enjoyable one. A way to get to that healthy place in your relationship is to practice mindful eating. Mindfulness is a Buddhist concept of mediation that can help you recognize emotions and physical sensations present. Through mindful eating, you can learn to truly pay attention to your experiences, cravings and physical cues. The basics of mindful eating are: Eat slowly, without distraction. If you are eating with others, take a least five minutes at the start of the meal to enjoy the food on your plate before engaging in discussion. Pay attention to your body--are you still hungry, or are you getting full? Learn to distinguish between cravings and true hunger. Use all your senses when you sit down to a meal. Make an effort to notice how the food looks, smells, tastes, feels in your mouth, and sounds when you chew. Appreciate your food, who has prepared it (even if it’s you--what an accomplishment!), and where it comes from.  Being mindful of your experience will help you slow down while eating. This can prevent overindulgence by making the act of eating intentional instead of automatic. It will also help you become aware of triggers that make you want to eat (are you truly hungry at 9pm every night when you sit down to watch that Netflix show, or do you just pour yourself a bowl of Chex Mix because that’s what you always do?). Knowing your triggers can give you time to process what’s truly going on and the ability to react properly.

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