2539: Food is My Friend: 6 Tips for Mindful Eating by Amanda Owen with Tiny Buddha on Nutrition Advice

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[00:01:00] to learn more. That's wonderfulpistachios.com. This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2539.

[00:01:08] Food is My Friend. Six Tips for Mindful Eating by Amanda Owen with tinybuddha.com.

[00:01:14] And I'm Dr. Neal Malik reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there

[00:01:19] with permission from the websites of course and always with a bit of my commentary at the end.

[00:01:24] And with that, let's get right to the post as we optimize your life.

[00:01:33] Food is My Friend. Six Tips for Mindful Eating by Amanda Owen with tinybuddha.com.

[00:01:40] Quote, your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.

[00:01:47] Buddha Thank you for this food we are about to eat.

[00:01:51] Many of us grew up with families who began each meal with a blessing.

[00:01:55] These prayers followed people from generation to generation,

[00:01:58] like an affectionate family member showing up when everyone sat down at the dinner table.

[00:02:03] These days, this honoring ritual is largely absent as we pick up food in a bag at a drive

[00:02:08] through window, eat from cartons taken directly from the refrigerator without

[00:02:13] bothering to put the food on a plate or sit down and spend meal time separated from family members.

[00:02:19] When did our connection to the food we eat become so distant and problematic?

[00:02:24] Many have a love-hate relationship with food. They disparage particular foods even when they

[00:02:29] crave them. They say, I want you go away. Doesn't that seem a bit neurotic? What a mixed

[00:02:36] message? A mistreated person often acts out in ways that can cause trouble. I think of food

[00:02:42] as doing the same thing. It tugs at you when you have other things to do and makes demands

[00:02:47] that you pay attention to it when you would much rather think of something else.

[00:02:51] A perfect example of this is when you are positive you don't want to eat the ice cream

[00:02:56] that's in the freezer. The entire time you're thinking of this, you get a spoon,

[00:03:00] get the ice cream, and finish all of it. I created the following exercises to remind myself

[00:03:06] to maintain a healthy and respectful relationship with the food I eat. As a result, I've lost weight

[00:03:13] and I choose healthier foods. Give it a try and see if it helps you too.

[00:03:18] 1. Count your blessings. Honor your food and express your gratitude. Do you feel

[00:03:24] fortunate to be able to afford the food you eat? Is your food nutritious? Does it look

[00:03:29] pretty on your plate? Then tell it. I admit to complimenting my food. I say,

[00:03:35] wow, you look delicious. I also say, thank you so much for being here with me. I then say,

[00:03:41] I'm so grateful for all of the people who made it possible for my food to be here with me.

[00:03:47] 2. Be aware of your senses. Eating is more pleasurable when it is a multi-sensory experience.

[00:03:54] Use your eyes and notice what's on your plate. Smell the aroma. Chew slowly so you can

[00:04:00] appreciate the flavors and experience the textures. 3. Appreciate all food equally.

[00:04:07] Don't treat everyday food as boring and unimportant. Give it the same gratitude,

[00:04:13] interest, and excitement that you offer a favorite meal. It's natural to oo and

[00:04:17] ah over a favorite birthday dinner, but what about the chicken or salad you eat frequently?

[00:04:23] Take the time to notice and be thankful. Arrange it on your plate so that it looks nice.

[00:04:28] If you have good dishes, don't just use them for special occasions. Everybody and everything

[00:04:33] likes to be the recipient of good vibes and positive attention.

[00:04:37] Appreciated food is more likely to deliver all of its nutrients,

[00:04:41] partly because you aren't gulping it down. 4. Feel your feelings.

[00:04:47] Don't require your food to be a workhorse for your emotions. It wasn't designed for that job.

[00:04:53] Feelings are part of the human experience. Don't be frightened of feeling bored,

[00:04:57] lonely, or sad. Sit with your feelings, rather than fleeing from them.

[00:05:03] Determine whether you are hungry or just bored. This small amount of attention and awareness

[00:05:08] helps prevent mindless eating. 5. Take the stress out of eating.

[00:05:14] Be present when you're eating and be mindful of the way you talk about food when you're

[00:05:18] not. Remember, complaining about bad eating habits doesn't actually do anything to change them.

[00:05:24] When you habitually talk about your discontent, you create an ongoing poor relationship with food.

[00:05:30] If you were to constantly speak about your partner in this way,

[00:05:34] you would cause plenty of problems in your relationship.

[00:05:37] Instead of dwelling on your problems with food, say something nice about it.

[00:05:41] For example, focus on the way food fuels your body and allows you to do the things

[00:05:46] you want to do. 6. Love your food.

[00:05:51] Don't buy into the idea that if you enjoy food too much, you'll never stop eating it.

[00:05:56] Take a chance and see what happens when you love your food.

[00:05:59] Doesn't it make sense that just as in any relationship when love and appreciation are

[00:06:04] expressed, a greater sense of well-being follows? When food is your friend, you can't

[00:06:09] help but feel happier. And that is a state of mind that we could all benefit from seeing

[00:06:14] more of in the world. You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:22] Food is My Friend, Six Tips for Mindful Eating by Amanda Owen with tinybuddha.com and I'll be

[00:06:28] right back with my commentary. Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:06:33] Whenever someone really wants to change their eating habits, even the relationship with

[00:06:37] food, whether it's related to eating more fruits and vegetables or again,

[00:06:41] practicing more mindful eating practices, the best way to make sure that we're actually

[00:06:46] doing these things is to monitor them. We need to write down when we do or don't do these behaviors.

[00:06:53] By writing down the behaviors, we slow down the process. It forces us to stop and think

[00:06:59] about what we're doing and why we're doing it. That's why keeping journals, especially

[00:07:04] food journals, can be so helpful for changing eating habits. It makes our eating behaviors

[00:07:09] less automatic. Behaviors that are less automatic means that they will be less likely to stay a habit.

[00:07:16] All right, that'll do it for today and I'll be back here tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A,

[00:07:20] so definitely stay tuned for that where your optimal life awaits.