Have you ever noticed that when you eat with joy, you never overeat?
The same happens when you engage your senses in the color, texture, smell, and flavor of the food! It's amazing how the favors burst into your mouth, isn't it?
This is called mindful eating and the practice of consciously choosing to fuel your health with purpose is called mindful nutrition! Before we delve further into this, let's understand the psychology of eating and what influences it.
What influences our eating behaviors?
Cultural factors
Social settings
Emotional influences
Stress
Lifestyle habits (work, sleep routine)
Many things influence eating habits, but the ones above are crucial factors.
Whatever be the reason, many use food as a coping mechanism to whatever life throws at them. Feelings like anxiety, stress, boredom are part of our lives. Still, instead of addressing them, most of us fall into the trap of numbing our feelings by eating. While it does give short-term relief, it often leads to regret and guilt. Consequently, it leads to weight gain and an increased risk of health issues like diabetes or high blood pressure. While it seems like a vicious cycle, there is a sure-fire way to break this repetitive sabotage via mindful nutrition.
Mindful nutrition and the food-mood link!
Mindful nutrition is a way of nourishing your body with purpose. The idea is to look at food as nourishment that meets your energy needs as well as your emotional needs.
Conventional science has long grouped food as macros – carbs, protein, and fat. However, food is more than that – it is a comfort factor, a route that takes us down our favorite memory lane – grandma's chocolate chip cookies, or mom's delicious apple pie can illicit feelings of joy and contentment. This is a perfect testimony to the fact what you eat affects how you feel. The connection between food and serotonin levels is surreal!
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep, mood, appetite and inhibits pain. Get this, 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut. So, that phrase "gut feeling" is for real! Research shows that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower for those who eat "traditional" diets, like the Mediterranean diet, Japanese diet, compared to the modern-western diet. If you notice, it all adds upright. A healthy diet that is consumed mindfully improves serotonin levels. It, in turn, takes care of your appetite (bodyweight), mood (lower depression, anxiety), and sleep patterns (lowers stress).
Benefits of mindful nutrition
Once you start practicing mindful nutrition,
You'll stop counting calories.
No more binging/Overeating.
Develop healthy eating habits.
Improve your relationship with food.
Experience a better state of mind.
Enjoy improved gut health & body weight.
If you are tired of counting calories, feeling guilty after you indulge, or frustrated with diet plans, know that there is a more conscious approach to nutrition that nourishes your body and soul. At Samadhi Health, we encourage you to eat joyfully and mindfully. When these two aspects are taken care of, you naturally gravitate towards healthier food choices and eating habits.
If you would like to learn more about mindful nutrition and the Samadhi way to health, join one of our upcoming retreats in Tuscany, where we dive into mindful nutrition practices that allow you to live in a state of abundance, rather than restriction.
Now is the best time for a retreat and to ease your way to health.
