Mindless or Mindful Eater — Which Are You? | Healthy Endeavors: Developing Healthy Eating Habits for Life!

October 22nd, 2008

Mindless or Mindful Eater — Which Are You?

Have you ever been caught eating while driving?

You know, wolfing down your lunch while weaving through traffic, rushing to get to an appointment and hoping the mustard doesn’t squirt onto your jacket, only to be foiled when the phone rings. Honestly, how can anyone hold a burger in one hand (which if you’ve gotten from a fast food joint in your rush, you know is full of low quality meat), the phone in the other AND drive the car?

I’ve so been there before. And every so often you still can find me eating behind the wheel (at least now with healthier food), but luckily those days are few and far between. These days, you’re more likely to find me eating while working, feverishly writing learning guides, pounding away on the keyboard, or prepping for clients, all in between spoonfuls of soup and salad (homemade soup, I might add and locally grown greens).

The truth is, I know better. There is absolutely nothing compelling or redeeming about being a mindless eater. Eating while working (or driving, watching TV, or the myriad other things we do when we multitask) is a recipe for:

eating more than we need to or should
putting on weight
creating stomach upset and a whole host of gastrointestinal problems
not truly enjoying our food because we’re too distracted
forgetting we ever even ate (have you ever realized that you didn’t remember actually putting the food in your mouth?)
creating poor habits that are hard to break

Mindful eating, on the other hand, is a recipe for tuning into your food and your body and getting maximum enjoyment from the experience. Imagine if you took the time to simply eat your meal without any distractions, savoring the flavors and textures. And imagine if you recognized when you were full and stopped eating instead of stuffing yourself silly.

I took some time to eat lunch this afternoon actually sitting at the table — no computer, no TV, no music, just me and the food. I really enjoyed it. I had some of the sweet potato bisque soup I made over the weekend as well as a nice salad with my favorite, locally grown greens. I loved taking a break, tuning into the experience and really tasting the food. It reminds me that I need to get better about doing this everyday.

What about you, are you a mindless or a mindful eater? What happens that you end up eating mindlessly? And if you fall into the eating while driving or eating while working syndrome, what will it take for you to become more mindful? Please share your thought below.