Mindful Eating by Coleen Nolan

What is Mindful Eating? Mindful eating is a way of eating that connects us with hunger and fullness cues (physical and other types of hunger), allowing us to choose foods for their satisfaction and nutritional value, while cultivating flexibility, curiosity and self-acceptance. This lifestyle choice is based on living mindfully.

One definition of mindfulness is: “a cognitive state marked by stable attention (awareness), that disengages habitual reactions, allowing inner wisdom to emerge.” More simply, being mindful means being in the present moment, without judgement. Paying attention to what we are doing while we’re doing it allows us to notice what’s going on inside (thoughts, emotions, physical hunger, fullness, etc.). This is also known as ‘inner wisdom.’ Knowledge of what foods nourish us best, healthy portion sizes, etc. helps to develop our ‘outer wisdom.’

Practicing mindful eating employs inner and outer wisdom to help us re-discover a healthy and joyful relationship with food and eating. Unfortunately, our natural tendency, as humans, is to prefer high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt foods. When this is coupled with an instinct to eat beyond physical hunger, ignoring our natural internal hunger cues, we often find ourselves overeating mindlessly.

Resources: The Centre For Mindful Eating is an excellent resource for mindful eating enthusiasts. They offer free teleconferences, articles, and workshops.

For local, live sessions on mindful eating in the Halifax, NS area, contact me at: coleen.innerpeas@gmail.com or by phone: 902.222.9485

Coleen Nolan, MSc, PDt, CYI is a Halifax-based registered dietitian and yoga teacher. She is available to meet with individuals or groups, and is based out of the Therapeutic Approach Health Centre in Halifax. http://www.halifaxhealth.ca