Food for Thought

October 05, 2021

By Ellen Jones, RD, LDN, Registered Dietician, Health & Wellness Specialist 

In the Learning Kitchen at HopeWay, the Health & Wellness Specialists help clients understand the connection between their brain and their gut, their emotions and their eating habits. This is done through a variety of different activities and education. Specifically, one of the topics focuses on mindful eating.

What is mindful eating?

The act of mindful eating means to slow down enough to truly taste your food. That means focusing on the appearance, smell, taste, texture and sound of your food.

How often do you find yourself eating in front of a screen or shoving food in your mouth while driving? Many times we cannot even remember what we’ve eaten that day! While mindful eating is not practical at every meal, it is possible and has significant health and emotional benefits.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

Mindful eating promotes healthy digestion and helps people recognize their hunger and fullness cues. This can prevent people from mindlessly eating when they aren’t hungry or simply eating out of boredom. Incorporating mindful eating at different points during your day also allows you to practice mindfulness and focus on the present moment.

So even with the hustle and bustle of life, we invite you to try out this mindful eating exercise and take time to slow down and enjoy your food.

Mindful Eating Exercise

Click the here for a video to learn more about mindful eating and how you can incorporate this practice in your life.