Lynn Eaton at Bamboo Nutrition does Snack With A Dietitian and shares how to eat mindfully.
Many of Lynn’s clients at Bamboo Nutrition report getting caught up in portion-sizes when in reality, a great place to start is your environment while eating.
Are you a distracted eater? Distracted eating may mean eating while working, while driving, while reading, while watching TV, etc.
The consequences to distracted eating are 1. Splitting your attention decreases efficiency or makes the task more time consuming, and 2. You lose the joy and pleasure around eating.
Eating is meant to be enjoyable and pleasurable. Many individuals may avoid cooking at home or eating at their own prepared food because it takes too long. Could this be because of your distractions?
As for portion-sizes, there are some things you can try:
Portion first according to hunger.
Rather than eating straight from the container, come with a plate, bowl and/or silverware to portion your food.
Assess how hungry you feel, start with an amount that feels satisfying and not restrictive. Its ok to leave some on your plate or place back in the container and it is also okay if you have to get more. Likely you will not get the portion perfect or correct but rather you may need to practice this a few times until you feel comfortable analyzing your hunger.
Listen to your fullness.
There are a few ways to asses fullness.
Make sure you have a beverage and are drinking while eating. Fullness relies on not only feeling comfortable from the food, but being hydrated as well.
Consider satisfaction. If you are no longer enjoying the food you’re eating then you likely are already full and do not need to continue eating the food in front of you. If you are enjoying what you’re having, then take some more bites and reassess again later.
Check in with your body multiple times. It is easy to not ask ourselves how we feel until the food is almost gone or completely gone. Choose a half way point and check in with yourself and definitely check in once you are close to completing the meal. An easy way to do this is to sit back from the table and take a couple deep breaths. You could stand up if needed and see how that feels as well.
Bamboo Nutritionionrd.com offers Snack With A Dietitian on Instagram every Tuesday between 10-11am. During these lives, our dietitians share practical tips, offers guidance, and discusses difficult or controversial nutrition topics.