Mindful eating

You may have heard the term "mindful eating" when it comes to losing weight, but it's an important concept to adopt about eating in general. Being mindful means being in the moment and not being distracted by outside forces.  How often do we carry on conversations while sneaking a peak at our cell phones or returning a text? Count the number of times you eat lunch at your desk or while watching TV. Are you paying any attention to what's on the fork? Probably not. This holiday season, pay attention to where your food came from. Savor the flavors instead of inhaling your food and moving on to the next entre'. Below are some tips to becoming more mindful:1. Slow down. Chew your food at least 20 times and really taste what's in your mouth. Don't take another bite until you've swallowed the first. And by all means, don't talk with your mouth full!2. Think. Where did this food come from? Who made it? What are the ingredients? How much time and effort went into preparing this? Pay attention to all of these factors to appreciate the food more.3. Set limits. Make a commitment to only eat in the kitchen or at your dining room table. Don't bring food to the living room while you are reading or watching TV, or God forbid- the bathroom!4. Make time for a meal. Stop eating in your car, at your desk or other "non-eating" location. Carve out time to take a break and enjoy your food instead of rushing through it. You have no idea the germ count on your keyboard.5. Try the raisin trick. Take one raisin and put it in your mouth. Suck on it, but don't chew it for 5 minutes. Think about the color, the texture, the taste. Be mindful of where it came from and how it ended up in your mouth. What do you think of it?6. Pay attention to hunger VS habit. If you're not really hungry, stop and think of what else you could do to fill the time (or empty space in your mind that thinks you need food)! Being mindful takes practice, but will change how you think of each bite you take.