A Beginner's Guide To Mindful Eating
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors evolved over millennia to seek the most nutrient-dense, calorific and satiating foods. Food was much harder to come by and it was in this harsh environment that the instincts we possess today were developed. They are also the reason why humans have endured and thrived as a species thus far. Fast-forward to today. In a world of abundant and easily obtained food, these same instincts now scupper our attempts at mindfulness and restraint. In this article, I will explain how this can happen, why it is not your fault and what you can do about it.
Sex, community, food, water and shelter are - and always have been - of paramount importance to the human race. This is because we are each intrinsically motivated by anything that ensures not only our survival, but that of future generations. From the moment we are born, we begin to explore the best ways to achieve this. One might - quite rightly - assume that over a lifetime the average person would become more adept at doing so the older (and the more practice) they get. There is a catch, however.
Each time you engage in behaviour that is - or appears to be - dependent on your survival, a neurotransmitter called dopamine is released from a range of structures in the brain. Once released in this way, dopamine embeds a memory of the behaviour along with the context in which it occurs. This includes all sensory inputs at the time (where you were, how you felt and associated tastes, smells and sounds). Whenever the same configuration of sensory inputs presents itself in relation to a particular behaviour, your brain offers a helpful reminder of how well this served your desire for survival in the past, thus prompting you to repeat it once more. Dopamine is again squirted into the brain, setting a self-perpetuating mechanism in motion.
The greater the surge of dopamine in the brain - and the more frequently it is released - the greater the motivation to engage in the behaviour that triggered its release.
This elegant system worked perfectly for centuries - until the rapid evolution of our environment far outpaced the evolution of our biology, causing what is now known as an evolutionary mismatch.
For most of human history, only that which could be hunted and gathered was consumed. Food took a great deal of time and effort to prepare and was much more subtly flavoured than most of what we eat today. Fresh fruits and honey were the only sources of dietary sweetness. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors did not have regular access to these foods but they were prized for their nutritive value nonetheless. This is in sharp contrast to the readily available - and relatively cheap - readymade foods that are deliberately crafted to be hyperpalatable and, therefore, infinitely more enticing.
Fat is another food that has been highly prized by humans for centuries due to its nutrient density, more so than fruits and honey. It is perceived as very rewarding by our brains and is satiating in small amounts. Responses vary, however, depending on the type of fat consumed and the manner in which it has been processed. Industrially processed and refined seed oils are high in fat but devoid of nutrients. Those who ingest them are left heavily-laden with calories, malnourished and, therefore, continually hungry for more of what their well-meaning brains are telling them will meet their needs.
Processed fats and refined sugars wreak enough havoc on our minds - and bodies - individually. Together, their combined effects on the reinforcement of dysfunctional eating behaviour is unprecedented. The combination of fat and sugar is one that is both absent in nature and widely used by the food industry. Faced with this double-whammy, our brains are quite literally like kids in a candy store.
Sensors in the mouth and small intestine detect the presence and concentration of nutrients in the foods we eat. This valuable information is relayed to the brain which also triggers the release of dopamine. Hyperpalatable foods contain far greater - and far more unnatural - concentrations of fat, sugar, salt and starch per meal or snack than our appetite signalling systems have been historically accustomed to. Repeatedly eating in this way repeatedly provokes larger surges of dopamine in the brain than would otherwise occur. The more this happens, the deeper the act of choosing (and gorging on) such substances becomes embedded as a mindless and addiction-like trait.
It goes without saying, then, that one cannot possibly eat mindfully without having first exercised a certain level of discernment where food choices are concerned. Below are a few ways you may choose to accomplish this:
Purge your pantry. Highly refined and hyperpalatable foods send confusing messages to the brain. This makes the survivalist, non-conscious brain step into the fray, leaving all good - and mindful - intentions behind.
Make satiating choices. Choose animal proteins of the very best quality you can afford. Accompany these with lots of whole (and, ideally, organic) fresh produce and fermented vegetables.
Tend to your emotions. Eating - or drinking - to numb unpleasant emotions (or indulge heady ones) often ends in unmet needs, sub-optimal health and regret. Consider looking for non-food-related means of processing your feelings.
Mindfulness is a term that is now so ubiquitous that it can often be dismissed as nothing more than the latest buzzword. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. When applied to eating, it - in fact - has the ability to deepen and enrich the experience whilst also offering important feedback.
Put simply, mindfulness is the practice of paying close attention - bringing all of one's senses to the present moment - without deeming whatever one senses as good or bad. When consistently presented with the facts in this way, we are much more likely to make better decisions.
We all know that eating with as much focus as we can muster throughout each meal can greatly increase the possibility of noticing just how full - or not - we are. This phenomenon is one that simply requires us to dispense with distractions, thus enabling the mind to look out for cues from the body. Often missed due to the fast-paced nature of our busy lives, this information prevents us from overeating not just in the moment, but over the long term. Mindfulness is also instrumental in creating the perfect conditions for optimal digestion.
Below are a few tips to get you started:
Get curious: Whenever the urge to eat something presents itself, try getting into the habit of assessing what your body really needs. Are you truly hungry? Thirsty, perhaps? Are you making the most nourishing choice for your body? Could boredom, tiredness or stress be playing a role here? If so, is food the best antidote? A minute or two spent scanning your body for answers to these questions is usually enough to create space between your triggers and the choices you decide to make.
Prime your body and mind: Once you have concluded that food is indeed required, it is best to eat it seated at a table. Making sure that it is devoid of stress-inducing clutter (or anything that could prove to be a distraction from the task at hand) is vital. Next, take three deep breaths to put you in a better - or at least neutral - frame of mind.
Take a moment: This is all that is needed to look down at your plate (which is, hopefully, inviting) and to appreciate the colours and textures on it. If you feel uninspired by what you see, this is valuable data. It is often said that the first bite is with the eye so create a plate you can get excited about. The anticipation you feel as a result will be accompanied by the stimulation of your salivary glands, causing your mouth to water - an important first step of digestion. Leaning in to the food and breathing in the aromas also assists this process.
Chew thoroughly: Putting your cutlery down while doing so, is a great way to ensure that you do not speed up your meal by placing another bite of food into your mouth before you have swallowed the first. Only swallow once you have completely broken down the food. This will provide a greater surface area on which digestive enzymes in your saliva can work. You may find that you do not need the assistance of sips of water throughout your meal to send the food down.
Check in: Pay attention to how you feel as each mouthful of food reaches your stomach. Could you do with a little more food? Do you feel satisfied and comfortable?
Repeat: The more you follow the steps above, the deeper the habit is embedded into your consciousness - without having to continually rely on (and, eventually, deplete) willpower.