We keep on hearing about the importance of mindfulness in our everyday lives, but sometimes it can be difficult to know where one can start. We are constantly on the move, with jobs, families, and friends around us, and while this can surely mean that we live a fulfilled life, we still need to take some moments and reconnect with ourselves from time to time.

Mindful eating every day

Mindfulness is defined as the capacity to be aware and focus your full attention solely on your experience, in the moment, and without any judgment. While it may sound easy, those who practice it every day know that the beginning can be a bit rocky. However, the good part is that you can start practicing mindfulness through particular moments within your day, such as lunch or dinner time.

Mindful eating means that the entire choice of food and experience of eating should be done in a certain way. You can become aware of your feelings, thoughts, and sensations related to the entire eating experience, and if you decide to practice it, you’ll discover that there’s a lot more to it then you might have thought.

The most important part when you start practicing mindful eating is to have self-compassion. You may not be able to do it every day at first, or you may be surrounded by friends who don’t have the patience while you are taking your time during lunch. On the other hand, the fact that you are doing it is already a great step, so calmly work your way toward eating mindfully every day.

Here are some things that you can consider, as you are learning more about mindful eating and how you can integrate it into your life.

Understand your motivations

One of the first distinctions that you should make as you are eating is whether the food you choose is nutritionally healthy or simply emotionally comforting. There’s a big difference between eating a burger while watching a TV show and eating nourishing foods in a mindful way.

Another powerful mindful eating exercise is to take your time and take very small bites one at a time. If you slow down the eating process, your brain can catch up with the entire experience, and you can focus on the process. Also, you will probably notice that you are enjoying the food more than you would think, given all the stories we tend to tell ourselves about healthy foods being less appealing.

Connect With Your Food

As you are getting ready to prepare your salad or bake your vegan cupcakes, you can also practice mindfulness by thinking about where each ingredient comes from. If you think about the food’s source, of course, in a non-judgemental way, you can connect with it on a deeper level.

You can be mindful of the soil, water, and other elements that are part of the creation process, as well as about all the people involved in getting this food all the way to your home. Consider every aspect that went into making your meal, and you’ll see that soon it becomes very easy to experience deep gratitude toward every single person and element involved in the process.