{"id":7654,"date":"2021-01-27T15:40:19","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T23:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vionicshoes.com\/blog\/?p=7654"},"modified":"2021-02-27T10:20:51","modified_gmt":"2021-02-27T18:20:51","slug":"soul-to-sole-mindful-eating-passing-fad-or-worthy-habit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vionicshoes.com\/blog\/soul-to-sole-mindful-eating-passing-fad-or-worthy-habit\/","title":{"rendered":"Soul To Sole: Mindful Eating – Passing Fad or Worthy Habit?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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written by\u00a0Juliet Kaska<\/a>, celebrity trainer, health and wellness expert and\u00a0Vionic Innovation Lab<\/a>\u00a0member<\/em><\/p>\n

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Mindful eating has become a popular term in recent years. It may have even \u201ctrended.\u201d But why? What is all the fuss?<\/span><\/p>\n

To find out, let\u2019s break it down. According to one study, the term \u201cmindful\u201d is \u201cthe conscious awareness of whatever the focus might be.\u201d In this case of mindful eating, the focus is our food and how we consume it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Breaking It Down<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Being mindful invites us to gain awareness of our experiences, rather than eat on autopilot. Studies have shown that when we savor our meals, we satisfy our hunger cravings more quickly, while enjoying the food more. Have you ever watched a child (or anyone, admittedly) eat candy? Sometimes they swallow so quickly they\u2019ve barely tasted it! Had they practiced a little mindfulness, they might have relished the candy more in the moment\u2014and avoided the bellyache later.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Where did mindfulness originate? The philosopher and scholar T. W. Rhys Davids coined the phrase in 1881, but it became mainstream in recent years by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Kabat-Zinn is the creator of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He uses mindfulness techniques to calm the mind and return it to the fullness of the present moment. It\u2019s the practice of being distinctly present. Or as he describes it in his best-selling book Full Catastrophic Living (one of my favorites), mindfulness is \u201cpaying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.\u201d<\/p>\n

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When Our Mind Should Meet Our Palate <\/b>and Why <\/b><\/h3>\n

People start diets for any number of reasons. Aside from weight loss, a diet may be adopted to reduce the effects of inflammation or to regulate hormones, including insulin, among many other possibilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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While diets typically focus on the \u201crules\u201d (counting calories, what food is or isn\u2019t allowed, when food is or isn\u2019t allowed), mindful eating focuses instead on the experience of eating. It helps tune us into our hunger cues and help discern them from the emotional triggers that might have us reaching for snacks we\u2019re not actually craving. Food becomes more satisfying. Hooray! Who doesn\u2019t want to enjoy food more? On the other hand, when we practice mindfulness, we might become more aware of how eating that entire box of cookies maybe wasn\u2019t so satisfying after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The next time you sit down to break the proverbial bread, consider this exercise to make the most of your meal. Start to take note of how you eat, and how you feel during and after.\u00a0 The difference may surprise you.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mindful Eating Exercise #1: Mindful Tasting<\/b><\/h4>\n

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