To Your Health: November 2012

In this Issue:

What is Mindful Eating?
Principles of Mindful Eating
What is Mindless Eating?
Why Become a Mindful Eater?
Simple Tips to Become a More Mindful Eater
Recipe of the Month
Quote of the Month

A Note from Bonnie

Greetings! The holiday season is right around the corner, and if this time of year for you is anything like mine, then your calendar is filled with family, friends, laughter, and of course good food. When there is so much activity going on who wants to talk about or be on a “diet”? Not I!

This month I am sharing with you the principles of mindful eating and how this can help get you through the holiday season looking and feeling great, while still enjoying your favorite holiday cuisine. The food, the friends, the laughter, the chocolate cake – yep, I said it. You really can have it all! With mindful eating you learn to SLOW down and SAVOR food. This principle, which I use with many of my clients, teaches you how to listen to your body, which means eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are satisfied (note I did not use the term full).

I hope you enjoy this issue and if you are interested in learning more about mindful eating and how becoming a mindful eater can help you win the weight loss battle – contact me today.
– Bonnie

What is Mindful Eating?

“Mindful eating is not a diet. There are no menus or recipes. It is being more aware of your eating habits, the sensations you experience when you eat, and the thoughts and emotions that you have about food. It is more about how you eat than what you eat.” -Susan Albers

Principles of Mindful Eating

Reproduced with permission of the Center for Mindful Eating
www.tcme.org

Principles of Mindfulness:

Mindfulness is deliberately paying attention, non-judgmentally.
Mindfulness encompasses both internal processes and external environments.
Mindfulness is being aware of what is present for you mentally, emotionally and physically in each moment.
With practice, mindfulness cultivates the possibility of freeing yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and acting.
Mindfulness promotes balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of what is.

Mindful Eating is:

Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.
Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.
Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without judgment.
Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

Someone Who Eats Mindfully:

Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying degrees of awareness surrounding the experience of food.
Accepts that his/her eating experiences are unique.
Is an individual who by choice, directs his/her awareness to all aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis.
Is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health outcome of that choice.
Is aware of and reflects on the effects caused by unmindful eating.
Experiences insight about how he/she can act to achieve specific health goals as he/she becomes more attuned to the direct experience of eating and feelings of health.
Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and cultural practices and the impact of his/ her food choices has on those systems.

Simple Tips to Become a More Mindful Eater

Eat Unplugged. Avoid watching TV, surfing the net, reading the paper, etc. while eating. When you eat, just eat.

Take time to focus on the sensations of the food. The smell, taste, and texture of the food. Try eating in silence (this may not always be possible, but experiment with it when you have a chance). Turn off external noises and when you eat, just eat.

Practice. Your current eating habits did not develop overnight, therefore neither will becoming a mindful eater. It will take practice and patience. Learn to taste your food and appreciate the texture and flavor. Set aside time each week to practice mindful eating. Slow down, taste the food, set no boundaries on what can and cannot be eaten, pay attention to what you really enjoy eating compared to foods you eat “just because.”

Re-assess your favorites. We all have “favorite foods” but often times these so-called “favorites” are really just habitual “favorites.” Meaning in the hustle and bustle of life, we have stopped asking ourselves “do I still really enjoy chocolate cake, or do I enjoy the memories and feelings that are associated with chocolate cake.” You will surprise yourself to learn what foods you really do love, compared to foods you eat because of habit or the feelings that are associated with it.

Re-connect with food. Plant a garden, cook, visit a local farm, make bread or pasta from scratch. Taking the time to re-connect with food and seeing where it comes from can give you a whole new appreciation of the nourishment you feed your body.

What is Mindless Eating?

Eating food without tasting it.
Eating in a hurry, in the car, at the computer, or while you are watching TV, etc.
Eating while standing up and trying to multi-task what is going on around you.
Eating to the point of fullness and then feeling guilty about what and how much you ate.
Eating to feed emotions– it could be boredom, stress, anxiety, or pure happiness. Mindless eating can be feeding a feeling rather than hunger.
Eating because the clock says it is time to eat rather than listening to hunger signals from your body.
Ignoring your hunger cues and skipping meals.

Why Become a Mindful Eater?

Stop the dieting cycle and learn to enjoy all foods.
Identify and reduce emotional eating.
Learn how to eat in all social situations.
Help create a healthy relationship with food.
Set a good example for young children, especially ones that are susceptible to eating disorders and disordered eating.
Manage your weight without dieting or restrictions.
Achieve weight loss by regulating eating patterns, decreasing binges, and increasing insulin sensitivity.

Recipe of the Month: Fruit Bombe

Reproduced with permission of Food and Health

Serves: 20 | Serving Size: 1/4 cup Total Time: 15 min | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 0 min

Ingredients:
1 cup dried mango
1 cup dried pineapple
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
12 ounces neufchatel cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions: ?
Soak all fruits in warm water until soft, about 20 minutes.
Mix the cheese until smooth and add the vanilla; mix well.
Line a glass or metal bowl with plastic wrap.
Drain the fruits and layer them with the cheese.
Freeze the bombe for several hours.
Un-mold and serve with nuts and dried cranberries.

To serve:
Unmold onto a cake platter or stand or other large lovely platter.
Decorate with dried fruits and nuts.
You can refrigerate this until needed – and freeze for a few hours before service so it cuts neatly.

Chef’s Tips:
Serve with whole grain crackers or soft warm whole wheat pita triangles.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Servings: 20
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 94
Calories from Fat: 37
Total Fat: 4g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 13mg
Sodium: 58mg
Total Carbohydrate: 14g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 2g

Quote of the Month:

“The rhythm of life is becoming faster and faster, so we really don’t have the same awareness and the same ability to check into ourselves. That’s why mindful eating is becoming more important. We need to be coming back to ourselves and saying: ‘Does my body need this? Why am I eating this? Is it just because I’m so sad and stressed out?’ ”
– Dr. Cheung – Co-author of “Savor. Mindful Eating, Mindful Life.”

New Program Now Being Offered at BRG Dietetics & Nutrition, P.C.

Bonnie helps chronic dieters who are feeling overwhelmed by all the diets, tips and information out there create a tailored solution that combines three essential ingredients: mindset, nutrition education and caring support, so they can achieve the weight loss they desire and the body they love without dieting.

Stop dieting and start living! For more information on the iEat Mindfully™ Program visit www.ieatmindfully.com .
Grab a copy of Bonnie’s FREE guide, 5 Steps to a Body You Love without Dieting at www.DietFreeZone.com

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