Mastering Mindful Eating: Enhancing Nutrition and Wellbeing

Abstract

[Name] One can define mindful eating as an act of being cautious on the food selection, when to eat it, and the amount to eat. It is an act of employing all the physical and emotional senses to the experience of eating and enjoying every bit of the food choices one makes. To this effect, one can conclude that mindful eating is an exercise of eating that demands full attention on the food choices from the eater to enhance food appreciation and gratitude, which in return increases the overall eating experience. What does such a definition imply? It means that mindful eating involves taking the selected food choice and focusing on the eating experience based on its taste, quality and quantity; thus, the entire exercise relies on mindfulness which to me is a form of meditation that best respond to the urge that made the individual take the food. Mindful eating demands a healthy eating habit to enhance a healthy life. According to Brian Wansink, healthy eating involves eating healthy foods at the right time, in the right portions, and being considerate of the dietary habits by analyzing healthy eating from the psychological and physical point of view. To this effect, hedonic foods can become associated with mindless eating, while less hedonic foods demand mindfulness while consuming them. Popcorns, especially buttered popcorns, candy, and ice creams, are an example of foods that one can eat mindlessly as the urge to eat them aims at enhancing emotional satisfaction. I can eat buttered popcorns mindlessly while sad or stressed as they will bring me emotional comfort, unlike while I take a plate of healthy food to satisfy hunger. Mindful eating becomes applicable to nutritionally healthy food like a well-balanced diet that I can take for breakfast, lunch, or supper after feeling hungry. The difference between the two types of foods is that mindless eating tends to be emotionally comforting, while mindful eating enhances nutritional health on the eater. Mindful and mindless eating environments and circumstances differ based on an individual. Based on Brian Wansink, exposure to food exposes an individual to...