Cebu City – When consuming a meal do you stop to wonder to think about how you eat? Are you consciously aware of the physical sensations of what food brings whether solid or liquid? Mindful eating or mindfulness is a useful tool to help us focus on our thoughts and feelings when consuming food. It plays a role in amplifying the sensory eating experience, and greatly affect the reduction of consuming unhealthy food. 

Mindful eating is the practice that focuses on the awareness of emotions, thoughts, and sensations of the process of how we eat. And it has been associated to stimulate positive psychological well-being and benefits individuals and their eating behaviors (Chang, Huang, & Lin, 2015; Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011).

Mindful eating is not typical among us Filipinos when eating our meals. It is unusual and creates a challenge for some individuals because of doubts of its importance, relevance, and purpose. But we must remind ourselves that healthy eating or being healthy isn’t exactly a walk in the park.  It is a complex process and requires commitment.

Incorporating mindful eating promotes better digestion, stimulates fullness with less food, and more importantly influences better choices of healthier diet and in the process train you to eliminate unhealthy food and habits.

In general, practicing this kind of awareness helps create a healthier mindset around food, gives you a lesser chance of feeling guilty and giving you a better experience with food. // NO I Gab Flores, RND