Lockdown got you shoveling down a bag of chips without you realizing? Making frequent trips to the fridge?

Stressful times filled with emotion and maybe with boredom can cause us to eat mindlessly. But if you want to stay as healthy as possible during this isolation, you need to practice mindful eating.

Mindful eating is when you savour each bite of food and appreciate everything from the flavor to the texture, and enjoy the experience of eating, without any guilt.

Try not to let your eating behaviors become “automatic” but rather focus on eating when you are feeling physically hungry. Physical hunger is when you have that empty feeling maybe joined by some embarrassing growls.

Here are some tips to put mindful eating into practice:

• Awareness is key: are you really hungry or just bored? Is it physical hunger that you’re feeling?
• Sit down and pace yourself: take time to chew your food slowly to help you recognize when you start to feel full. Put your cutlery down every few bites so you don’t feel rushed to swallow your food straight away.
• Channel your inner “foodie”: use your senses – savour the flavour, texture, smell and appearance of your food.
• Gratitude: before you dig in, take a moment to be grateful for your food, the preparation involved, and for nourishing your body.
• Don’t multi-task when you’re eating: keep your phone away from you (or anything with a screen) and avoid mindlessly munching while watching TV.
• Portion control: prepare your food into appropriate serving sizes, especially snacks , so you are not eating out of the packaging and tempted to reach for more.

  Baby steps! If you are new to mindful eating, set yourself small goals to get you into the groove. Start with eating mindfully for one meal a day, and then move up from there.
  Hope you find this useful and are staying safe at home!