Mindful Cooking & Eating
We’ve all got a lot going on at home at the moment. Cooking and eating can sometimes feel like just another chore to get out of the way and to tick off our To-do list.
Unexpected events, stress, mixed emotions and fatigue can leave us feeling overwhelmed and make every-day activities feel like hard work. Eating is one activity that you can’t stop doing whatever else is going on around you. It is very easy to start snacking on something mindlessly and before we realise it the whole packet is gone.
What you can try to do, is to make small, simple changes to help make meal times more enjoyable and relaxing. Look for ways of improving the type of food you eat. You can also think about when and where it’s eaten, who you eat with and meal time settings and perhaps make some alterations.
The ability to change habits is the key to good nutrition and to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. As we know this can be surprisingly difficult to do as it involves becoming aware of and changing thoughts, behaviours, and emotions related to eating.
Ideas to help take the stress out of cooking and meal times include:
- Search for new recipes to try from your favourite chef, family or friends.
- Take time to do a simple menu plan before you go shopping.
- Plan to cook some meals with fresh ingredients from scratch.
- Keep the kitchen work surfaces clean and tidy, less chaos, less stress.
- Try not to rely on too many processed, convenience foods.
- Limit take-away meals or try cooking your own version.
- Agree some regular meal times, it could help prevent grazing and snacking.
- Eat meals together where possible and away from TV and social media.
- Make a conscious effort to chew each mouthful of food properly (until it turns almost to liquid) it’s better for digestion and can help reduce over-eating.
- Encourage children to get involved in food prep and cooking, hopefully they will be more enthusiastic at meal times.
- There is a saying that you ‘eat with your eyes’ so try eating the colours of the rainbow, choose seasonal fruit and veg for good taste and nutrition.
- Serve up smaller portions to help reduce feelings of bloating and sluggishness. Generally the less active we are the less calories needed.
- Recognise emotional eating in yourself and others. Ask yourself are you really hungry or triggered to eat by stress, emotion, habit, or food temptations nearby.
- Be kind to yourself. Be aware of your thoughts and emotions relating to food intake; practice self-acceptance and self-compassion.
Despite the challenges we face, making a couple of small changes can give you a real boost. If you can cook and eat in a calm and relaxed way you will be practicing mindfulness without even thinking about it.
You can find some great Jamie Oliver recipes to try here: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/keep-cooking-and-carry-on/
Val Hutson
Healthy Lifestyles Nutritionist
Biography
After graduating with a First Class BSc Hons Degree in Nutrition and Health, Val joined Blackpool Council’s Public Health Team as a Healthy Lifestyles Nutritionist. Val enjoys her role working with food outlets, catering teams and schools across Blackpool, encouraging them to adopt healthier cooking practices and promote healthier choices. Val is a Registered Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition and is accredited to deliver community based cooking sessions as part of Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food Cooking Programme.
References:
Wnuk S., Du C. (2017) Mindful Eating for Severe Obesity. In: Sockalingam S., Hawa R. (eds) Psychiatric Care in Severe Obesity. Springer, Cham
Kristeller J.L., Lieberstein A.E. (2016) Teaching Individuals Mindful Eating. In: McCown D., Reibel D., Micozzi M. (eds) Resources for Teaching Mindfulness. Springer, Cham
Zhu Y, Hollis JH. R (2015) Relationship between chewing behavior and body weight status in fully dentate healthy adults. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 66(2)135-139
British Dietetic Association May 2020
https://freelancedietitians.org/dietitian-blog-posts/why-you-should-eat-slowly/
Jamie Oliver Website:May 2020
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/keep-cooking-and-carry-on/