Tag Archive | "healthy eating habits"

Make Your Eating and Drinking More Mindful


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Mindful eating is the process of being in the moment while you eat. Many of us can have the tendency to eat too quickly without even stopping to really taste our food. This means that eating can become just another chore that you have to do. You then want to get it over as quickly as possible, which just continues the cycle. That can lead to not eating healthily or eating too much because you’re not really paying attention. Mindful eating can change that, making sure you’re really focusing on what you’re eating and taking time to enjoy it. Here’s how you can eat more mindfully.

Time Your Meals Correctly

Eating at the right time is one of the small ways you can eat more mindfully. It’s important that you have an appetite when you eat your meals, rather than just eating when you think you should. However, it’s equally important that you’re not famished because being extra hungry could mean you just wolf down your food without really tasting it. If it helps, you might prefer to have more frequent but smaller meals throughout the day instead of sticking to three big meals. It could encourage you to eat slower too.

Use All Your Senses

When you’re eating, try to use all of your senses to enjoy the experience. Smell your food before you eat it, feel the texture of it when you cut it up and chew it, and taste it on the tongue. You can even hear the sounds that your food makes, as well as take it in with your eyes. Eating in this way can help you to eat more slowly and to really pay attention to what you’re eating. Every mouthful can be an experience that you enjoy when you really concentrate on what you’re eating and drinking.

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Enjoy the Process of Making and Consuming

Both the process of making your food and drink and eating or drinking it can be enjoyable. Spending some time on cooking, baking, or even making a drink can make the experience of consuming it better too. Try this out by buying the best ceremonial cacao you can find and taking your time both making it and drinking it. You can do this with lots of other things too, from tea and coffee to bread or any meal you feel like making. The whole process can help you appreciate what you eat and drink more.

Take Your Time

The most important thing to remember if you want to be mindful when you’re eating and drinking is to take your time. Let yourself enjoy each bite, chew more, and make an effort to really slow down. Talking to other people while you’re eating can definitely help you to slow down, so make your mealtimes a social occasion too. When you share food with others, it can encourage you to pay attention to it and talk about it too.

Mindful eating could improve your digestion and your diet. Think more carefully about what you eat and how you eat it.

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Can Healthy Eating Ever Go Too Far?


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Most doctors and researchers now agree that a healthy diet is absolutely fundamental to personal health and wellbeing. Not only does eating right reduce your risk of major diseases, but it may even protect you against common mental health conditions as well. 

However, some researchers now argue that people can take healthy eating too far. Consuming fruits and vegetables morning, noon and night might seem like a good idea, but there are drawbacks if not done correctly.

Spending All Day Thinking About Food

Thinking about food around mealtimes is perfectly normal, but if you find yourself daydreaming about it at other times of the day, such as just before bed, it might suggest that you’ve taken healthy eating too far. Either you’re not providing yourself with palatable, satisfying food, or you’re not getting enough calories. 


To correct this, cook delicious meals from recipe books and increase the number of calories that you’re getting in your food.

You Can’t Eat Anything Unhealthy Without Negative Emotions

There’s nothing wrong with avoiding junk food. But if you find yourself unable to eat anything that might be considered unhealthy, you may need to visit a dietitian for eating disorders. Some people can get into a situation where they can’t eat anything that might be bad for them – something that can cause a great deal of distress. 

You Compulsively Read Nutrition Information Labels

Reading nutrition information labels from time to time is okay, but it can become a problem if you start doing it obsessively. Rejecting every foot item with more than the recommended salt, fat or sugar can be good for your health, but bad for your mind.

If you can, give yourself some leeway. Choose foods as they come out of the ground and trust them to provide all of the nutrition you need. 

You’re Cutting Out Whole Food Groups

Cutting out entire food groups because you believe that they aren’t healthy can be a problem and may indicate that you’re taking healthy eating too far. 

Sure, if you want to go vegan, remove the meat and dairy from your diet, but be honest about your motivations. Are you doing it to prevent animal suffering or because you think that it will help you lose weight? 

You’re Drinking Green Smoothies And Not Much Else

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While green smoothies are incredibly healthy, they aren’t a sustainable, long-term balanced diet. At some point, you’re going to need grains, fruits and sources of protein. 

Doing a “green smoothie” fast is something that people like to do once per year, but attempting to do it more often than that could be a recipe for disaster. Don’t try it. 

You Worry About Certain Ingredients In Food

Manufacturers like to add all sorts of ingredients to their foods to make them more palatable and to boost their shelf life. Many of these are benign and a small number are harmful. 
If you find yourself obsessing over these (and feeling emotional when you find out that they are in your food), it could be a sign that you’ve taken healthy eating too far and need to get support.

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