Tip of the Week

Mindful eating

One bad habit that leads to over-eating is mindless eating. By this I mean eating when doing something else and therefore not noticing what you eating. This is an unhelpful practice on two counts. Firstly, you are not enjoying what you eat, (and research from positive psychologists shows that savouring experiences is one way to increase your levels of overall life satisfaction and happiness), and secondly, you are highly likely to be eating much more than you need. Have you ever scrabbled in the bottom of a packet to find that whatever it was has gone, and you didn’t even notice it going?

Don’t be put off by the Zen overtones of mindful eating; it simply means paying attention. Research shows that noticing and savouring every mouthful pays off. The rewards are eating less and enjoying more. We are all aware of the notion of empty calories but eating mindlessly is empty eating. So:

• Slow down
• For at least one meal a day do nothing else except eat
• Notice the texture
• Notice the flavour
• Notice when you are satisfied

Not only will you be slimmer, but, according to positive psychologists, you will be happier too.