Research-backed advice to help you stop mindless eating
This was a Guest Post by Lara Zibarras on Complete Wellbeing
Do you skip through meals and rush through your food? Maybe you eat lunch at your desk, mindlessly munching on a sandwich whilst you catch up on emails? Or perhaps you’re more likely to flop on the sofa for a TV dinner, or snack whilst you scroll on social media? I get it — life is busy and can be tiring at times. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never eaten lunch at my desk. But the problem with mindless eating is that it’s easy to disconnect from the experience making it harder to tune into your hunger and fullness signals. When this happens, you’re more likely to unconsciously overeat.
If you want to avoid that lapse in concentration between your first and last bite, then try these six mindfulness tips to help you slow down, appreciate and savour your food. The intention is to step away from autopilot eating, and instead bring awareness to the experience and its associated sensations.
Here’s 6 tips to help you stop mindless eating today
Tip 1 Avoid distractions
As much as possible aim to focus only on the eating experience. That means switching off the television and putting away your phone [or switching to airplane mode]. If you can, sit down at a table to eat your meals. When we avoid distractions, we are better able to tune into our body’s hunger and fullness signals. On the other hand, research indicates that distractions lead to mindless eating which, in turn, may lead to overeating.