Mindfulness simply means paying attention
“Harnessing mindfulness in the areas of food and diet can be one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself. ”
I’m a wanderer. My mind wanders all the time. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing or thinking about, at some point my mind will wander in some other direction. It takes practice and effort, especially for me, to stay in the moment, to pay attention to what’s right in front of me… except for food. I love food. I love watching it grow in the garden in the summertime and I love it transforming from individual items into one beautiful dish. It really is amazing when you think about it. How combining ingredients can make the whole even tastier than its parts. I was lucky. My mom always talked about the importance of food. Why it’s prepared a certain way, what to do and not to do…and why we need to eat it. We had no doubts growing up of the importance of good food to keep up strong and healthy. If we were sick, mom went straight for the food…and questioned what we were eating when she wasn’t around. Having fast food? Skipped a meal? “Eat something of substance” she would say and she still does. So the one area that I am most mindful is food…thanks mom! I’m always considering my choices. How well did I eat yesterday? Can I cheat a little today? Do I have enough veggies on my plate? Did I eat a piece of fruit today? She simply taught us to pay attention to what we were eating. Harnessing mindfulness in the areas of food and diet can be one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself.
We’ve spent the last couple of months making some changes. Notice anything different? One day you feel great and other days not so great? Ever really thought about the connection between how we feel day to day and what we’ve been eating? Is there a connection? Absolutely! Some will tell you differently but when it comes right down to it, what we eat will either make us feel great or not so great. It does work on a sliding scale, so all different gradations of feeling good to bad are possible. It can make it a little harder for us to notice when something we’re eating is not really the best choice. The most obvious and, for the most part, relatable example is alcohol. If we drink too much, we have a hangover the next day and we know that the cause was the direct result of the overconsumption of alcohol. Food allergies can be both immediate or delayed but are typically acknowledged and addressed right away. Food intolerances and sensitivities tend to go unnoticed for longer periods of time before they are even considered to be a possible issue. So why don’t we recognize that foods and beverages can be the direct result of how we feel? Most likely because the effects can be subtle but the effects are present just the same. This is where mindfulness comes in. I know what you’re thinking, mindfulness, just another word used by the yogis and the new age crowd. Mindfulness is nothing new. It just means to pay attention, to be present and to allow yourself to become aware of something. We need to start paying more attention to what we are eating and these choices are affecting us.
It’s common to stop paying attention, almost like we think our bodies are going to take care of us without us making an effort to consciously be part of the process. We are the governing and driving force behind how we feel. Yes, the body will compensate for our shortcomings and questionable decisions but it can’t compensate forever. We have to participate. We have to play an active part and make good choices for our own bodies and each of our bodies are different. We have differences which require us to pay attention and eat how our bodies signals us to do so. All the discomfort we feel, the bloating, feeling lethargic, lack of energy, troubled digestion…all signals that the body gives us in hopes that we are paying attention and that we will intervene and do something to make it better. This is where mindfulness comes into play. Pay attention. Be present. Our bodies do so much for us, why don’t we do something nice in return? Pay a little attention to the signals it’s sending us every day. The rate of return is huge! It’s the joy of feeling good every day, all day. Can you imagine?
Visit my Bits and Bites for tips on how to take the signs and signals our bodies are sending you and use them to help you make better food choices.
