Most of the time we are only concerned with what we eat and whether the foods we choose are healthy. However, how we eat is also crucial for our health and our weight. These are the benefits of mindful eating.
We grab a pastry from the bakery on the way to work in the morning and wolf it down as we walk, we snack on lunch while we read emails, and we let a TV show wash over us at dinner. Of course, everyday life doesn’t allow us to take 30 relaxing minutes for each individual meal in order to enjoy it in peace. However, we should try to do this as often as possible. Because if you eat more slowly, chew more thoroughly and eat your meals in a quiet environment, your health will benefit enormously.
Table of Contents
Mindful eating helps you lose weight and promotes your health
1. You pick up automatically
Actually, our body signals us quite quickly and reliably when we have eaten enough and should be full. Stretch receptors in the stomach wall and nutrient receptors in the small intestine send the message to our brain “we have eaten enough food and nutrients and should stop now”. In our modern, fast-moving society, however, we often do not have or do not take the time to eat in peace. When distracted and also because of heavily salted and sugared finished products, we no longer perceive the body’s own satiety signals and overeat. In contrast, mindful eating can sharpen our cognition again and according to studieseven cause significant weight loss similar to that of conventional diet programs. So if you want to lose weight, don’t just focus on what foods you eat, but also how you eat.
2. Your stress decreases
Of course, stress cannot be avoided entirely – it is much more important that we deal with it in a healthy way. After all, those who frequently build small breaks into their hectic everyday life not only reduce the felt, subjectively perceived stress, but actually also the release of stress hormones, as studies have shown. The data from an eight-week study with 57 subjects even suggest that mindful eating can counteract mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders.
Tip: When implementing mindful eating, the following abbreviation can serve as a little help: SARW = Stop – Breathe – Reflect – Choose . Take the time, even if it’s just a few seconds, to stop, acknowledge your needs and hunger , and make wise portion size and food choices.
3. You have fewer digestive problems
Our autonomic nervous system consists of two opponents: the sympathetic nervous system , which is responsible for wakefulness, attention and activity. And the parasympathetic nervous system , which appears during relaxation and recovery, but is also responsible for digestive processes. If we are constantly stressed and rushed, the sympathetic nervous system is much more active than the parasympathetic. This not only affects our psyche and our blood pressure, but also our digestion. If we eat while walking or distract ourselves with an exciting series, there is less stomach acidproduced and less blood flows to the digestive organs. In addition, the saliva in the mouth contributes to the pre-digestion of food, which is why swallowing it quickly is counterproductive. With mindful, slow eating, you can therefore counteract digestive problems such as constipation or flatulence.
