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Pay attention to the experience of eating - There's a number of things involved in the eating process, many of which we overlook.

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Ask why -

It's important to understand why you want to eat mindfully. Do you want to change your relationship with food? Do you want to be aware of what your body needs and how it responds?

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Ask why - It's important to establish why you're doing this in the first place, so you'll have a clear vision of where you're going.

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Be aware - When you eat, try to be aware of your body, your mind, and your environment.

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Visualization - Imagination triggers real responses from our brains, so imagine your future self having a healthy relationship with food and how good you'll feel about it.

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Get rid of addictive foods - Foods containing sugar, caffeine, and alcohol can cloud our judgement when we try to eat mindfully.

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Get rid of addictive foods - Addiction will always speak louder, and we don’t want to hear that voice. Instead, we want to hear what our body needs.

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Food-focused mindful meditation - Close your eyes and visualize a variety of foods. Focus on how these foods feel in your body. This is a starting point to understand what your body is craving.

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Listen to your body - Before choosing to eat a food, just take a moment to ask your body what it needs. Use your senses.

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Listen to your body - Your body will give you clues by the way it reacts to certain foods, when you smell, see, or touch them.

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Calm yourself down before you eat - Stress affects our relationship with food, so it is important to take a moment to calm ourselves down before we eat.

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Calm yourself down before you eat - Listening to calming music while you cook, or even when you go grocery shopping, can help.

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Identify the type of hunger you have - Before you eat, stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and reflect on the type of hunger you have.

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Identify the type of hunger you have - There are numerous types of hunger that you could be experiencing, including: eye, nose, ear, mouth, stomach, mind, emotional, and cellular hunger. Let's take a look at each of them.

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Mouth hunger -

Did you sample a food and you want to eat more of it?

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Eye hunger - Did you see a particular food and now you want to eat it?

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Nose hunger - Did you smell a specific food and now you just want to eat it?

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Stomach hunger - Do you feel empty or is your stomach growling and now you need to eat?

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Ear hunger - Did you hear the sound of food being cooked or people eating food and now you’re hungry?

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Emotional hunger - Do you feel sad, lonely, or anxious, and find comfort in food?

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Mind hunger - Do you link a particular event or moment to a food and then want to eat it (e.g. pancakes on Pancake Day)?

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Cellular hunger - Do you crave a specific food for no apparent reason? Is your body really craving it?

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Keep it light - If you’re eating with other people, avoid talking about stressful topics, and keep the conversation light and positive.

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Keep it light - The same goes if you’re watching TV. Try to avoid content that will excite you in any way and create any sort of emotional response, either positive or negative.

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Mindful pause - Take a break after a few bites. Feel how your body is responding to the food. Are you sweating, do you feel tired, or do you have nasal congestion? These are just some of the reactions you can have to food.

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Be mindful throughout - At each bite, be mindful of the whole experience. Is the food warm or cold? How’s the texture? Is it savory, salty, or sweet?

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Be mindful throughout - Can you identify elements such as added salt, spices, or herbs?

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Be mindful throughout - Does the food you're eating trigger an emotional response? If so, think about why.

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Pause -

Stop halfway through a meal and assess how you're feeling. Are you full yet? Do you feel the nutrients in the food are nourishing your body?

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End of the meal -

Do the same at the end of each meal. Ask yourself if your hunger has been satiated.

See also: The healing power of superfoods.

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