Forget counting calories every day, let’s instead focus on fuelling your body with fulfilling foods that’ll leave you feeling great
Always on the lookout for a quick-fix solution, or a new plan to follow when it comes to eating well and feeling your best? Trust us you’re not alone.
Try not to get distracted by the unrealistic body types of celebrities who are splashed across magazines, newspapers and our social feeds. Don’t be one of those one in five adults who feel that images on social media cause them to worry about their body image. If you’re overweight or living with obesity, then losing weight can bring important health benefits. But thinking about our connection with food and making healthier choices is good for all of us.
It’s time to ditch the celeb-fuelled diets and focus on you, your goals and a healthy, happy relationship with food.
Wave goodbye to eating restrictions
Restrictive eating is limiting what you eat to a certain number of calories or to certain foods or food groups. When it comes to following a diet, if the promises sound too good to be true, they probably are (sorry to break it to you). Let’s face it. Having a never-ending list of what you can and can’t eat can be complicated and confusing, right? Sure, cutting lots of foods from your diet may help you shed a few pounds to start with, but it probably won’t last. The truth is, over time, all it does is leave you with a strict, unforgiving plan that’s hard to follow day-to-day.
What if there was another way to live healthily and happily, without having to squeeze the life out of what you can eat? Well, turns out there is! Enter mindful eating.
What is mindful eating?
Eating your five-a-day, drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly will forever be the golden rule for helping to keep yourself in tip-top condition. Rather than restricting what and when you eat, mindful eating is all about being present in the moment during mealtimes. It can help you better understand the foods that nourish your body and make you feel good. Focusing your energy into discovering new foods, loving what you eat and enjoying a wide, exciting variety of foods – sign us up!
If you’re looking for a mindful eating masterclass, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few of our fave tips to help you focus on living and eating well for your mind and body:
See food as your friend, not your enemy
It’s time to start talking about food in a positive way. After all it’s what fuels us and helps us to live our best lives! Food should be enjoyed and leave you feeling great, not make you feel anxious when it’s time to eat. Sure, some foods have a better nutritional value than others but that doesn’t mean they’re the only foods you should eat. Fill your body with nourishing, fulfilling foods, but also allow yourself to have a treat every now and then. Craving that slice of cake? Go for it! But leave it at a slice. It’s all about balance.
Listen to your body
Feeling hungry isn’t something we learn, it's an instinct. You weren't born with a calorie calculator, you were born with a natural sense of knowing when you’re hungry and when you're full. Worrying about and focusing only on eating certain foods, at certain times of the day, stops you from listening to your body. Start paying attention to how you feel during and after meals. Take deep breaths, eat slowly, and – most importantly – enjoy the foods you’re eating. Tuning in with your hunger levels can really help stop you eating just because you’re bored or stressed.
Find healthier versions of your fave foods
Restrictive eating can be boring, and we know you’re definitely not boring. Food should never be a chore. Think about adding delicious, healthy foods to your plate instead of taking things away. A great place to start making positive changes is to try swapping out foods high in fat, sugar or salt with healthier alternatives. Switch sugary cereal for plain cereal, white bread and pasta for wholegrain versions and replace salt with herbs and spices to add flavour to your cooking instead.
Try not to make food your main focus
Life’s too short to be hungry and worrying about when you’re eating next. When you're on a restrictive diet, it’s easy to have food on the brain at all times. What can I bring to work for lunch? How will I handle a meal out with friends and family without going over my carb limit? Food shouldn't be the subject of those thoughts. Your work, your friends and your family are what’s important there. What and when you eat should simply be the fuel that feeds your life rather than controlling how you live it.
Show your body some love
The diet culture likes to hint that if we look a certain way or fit in a certain dress size, everything will be better. Wouldn’t life be sweeter (and so much simpler) if, instead of measuring your worth in what you look like, you start appreciating your body for all the wonderful things it does? Your body allows you to dance around, to explore the world, to laugh and smile. There’s far more to you than how you look on the outside.
Mindful eating is a great way for us all to take a step back and think about our relationship with food. It’s important to remember though that we’re all different and some people’s weight may be affecting their health. If you’re worried about your weight, speak to your GP for more guidance and advice.
