Book Description

You may be familiar with the term "mindfulness", but are you aware this can be applied to our eating habits? Mindful eating uses the act of mindfulness or being present, to help overcome eating problems in our increasingly busy lives. The goal is to shift focus from external thinking about food to exploring (and enjoying) the eating experience. Practicing a more mindful approach to eating can enhance the enjoyment of your meals, reduce overeating, aid good digestion, reduce anxious thoughts surrounding food, and improve your psychological relationship with food, It is impossible to truly enjoy eating (or food) while our attention is elsewhere, Ask yourself how often you eat while in the car? While watching TV? Or in front of your computer? Eating in these circumstances is usually mindless and can lead to overeating, choosing unhealthier options. says Jennifer Taitz, Psy.D., an LA-based psychologist, Two of the biggest benefits of conscious eating are that it reduces a lot of the stress around eating (after all, you're only eating when you need to!) and can help people enjoy their food more. The Mindful Eating Journal includes: The Hunger and Fullness Scale:(''click ''LOOK INSIDE" to see "example") The hunger and fullness scale is a linear scale from 0 (ravenously hungry) to 10 (so full you are feeling). The hunger and fullness scale describes different levels or varying degrees of hunger and fullness. It is a tool that can be used to help you identify how hungry or full you are, or to help you know when to start or stop eating, this scale can be a helpful aid as you learn your own body signals. Hormones, specifically leptin (the "feel full" hormone) and ghrelin (the "feel hungry" hormone) regulate your day-to-day hunger and fullness as a means to maintain energy balance. Mindful eating questions:(a question for every day to answer it) Sometimes we need to slow down, stop, and ask ourselves some questions about what we are getting ready to eat. Many of us can recall a time when we were standing over the sink shoveling food into our mouths without even realizing it. Or driving somewhere, one hand on the wheel, while the other hand is digging deep into a bag of something sugary and salty. Ask ''what? where? When? or Why you want to eat can be helpful for assessing if you are eating for a reason other than hunger, help you figure out if you are actually hungry or not. Maybe you are hungry because you didn't eat enough protein with lunch or maybe you need to fuel up for a workout. Checkboxes (I Ate Because): maybe you are looking to eat because you stressed, bored, lonely, tired, sad, or pissed. If you can recognize at the moment that you are looking to eat for emotional reasons over hunger, you much more equipped to slow down for a second not let your feelings make your food decisions for you. Also, Mindful Eating Journal includes: ◆ Food Tracker ◆ Sleep Time ◆ Water Intake Tracker A major part of learning how to eat intuitively is learning how to listen to your body. No matter how many times you've tried to lose weight, this journal will change your whole outlook, and you'll start to notice health benefits and weight loss straight away.