The Mindful Kitchen: Outer v. Inner Hunger Cues
Establishing a mindful eating practice and moving away from the diet mentality is life affirming. However, cultivating such a practice in our fast-paced society can be quite challenging. It requires an intentional shift from using external guidance about what, when, and how much to eat (e.g. diets, provided portion sizes, dress size, the bathroom scale, the size of your plate) to internal guidance (e.g. using your taste buds, your hunger/satiety cues). In order to achieve an awareness of your internal guidance, a daily formal mindfulness practice is essential. In addition to these formal practices, the attitude with which you undertake the practice of paying attention is crucial. When approaching mindful eating for the first time, it can be helpful to learn about the attitudes of mindfulness (Kabat-Zinn, 2013) to help transition from an external to a more internal guidance system.
The 7 Attitudes of Mindful Eating
References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness. Bantam Books. Rossy, L (2016). The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution: Proven Strategies To End Overeating, Satisfy Your Hunger and Savor Your Life. New Harbinger Publications. Kristeller, J. L., & Wolever, R. Q. (2011). Mindfulness-based eating awareness treatment (MB-EAT). Conceptual basis. Eating Disorders. The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 19, 49–61. https://www.mindful.org/lets-eat/ https://www.mindful.org/6-ways-practice-mindful-eating/
