I’ve been thinking about mindful eating for the past 6 months. I need to do more research about it, but I found this article that gives a good, quick, overview about what it is: Mindful Eating

I was thinking about it again tonight when I chewed my way through half a family size bag of all dressed chips despite the fact that the inside of my mouth was raw and I really wasn’t even enjoying it anymore.

I have, in the past few months, been able to recognize that I was no longer needing or enjoying what I was eating, and been able to stop. But, it’s still the exception, not the norm.

I want to get much better at mindful eating. The times I have been successful in this practice I find I feel better, food tastes better, I enjoy everything more and I make better choices.

When I’m truly being mindful and honest about what I’m eating and how I’m feeling while I eat, I realize that all the junk I think I want, or deserve, to have isn’t actually, as enjoyable as I think it should be.

Apples, lettuce, plain baked potatoes and simple grilled chicken actually all taste great, make me feel great, and make me immensely happy.

So, why isn’t it easier for me to make better choices about what I eat?

I think the main reason has to do with my relationship to food.

Food is my friend, a comfort, a reward for a job well done, a solace for when I’ve failed. And the list goes on.

But, when I’m finding myself at the bottom of a bag of chips, and I tune into how I’m truly feeling, I realize that food is none of those things.

Food can taste good, to be sure, and can certainly have both positive and negative effects, but it was never meant to be a person with whom I’m in a relationship.

Mindfulness has been teaching me how this needs to change.

I’m going to try and be extra mindful about what I’m eating tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.