Happy National Nutrition Month! To kick off the month of March, I am excited to share our Mindful Monday guest writer is future Registered Dietitian (RD) Kerry Bair. As we “go further with food”, read on to learn more about intuitive eating and how to incorporate mindful snacking into your lifestyle.
About The Author
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Mindful Snacking
By:Kerry Bair, MPH, future RD
Do you ever get so caught up in work, school, or life and you realize it is 7pm and you haven’t eaten all day? Or, you are trying to follow a strict, “healthy” diet, leaving yourself unsatisfied and consumed by cravings by dinnertime? When you’ve reached that point, you’re starving and you do one of two things: you a) unintentionally eat everything in sight, whether it is something you would normally choose or not choose, or b) you eat an abnormally large portion of food as fast as you can to fulfill your hunger.
Either way, you leave the table feeling extremely full, bloated, sick, and often regretful. This type of mindless eating can lead to mental stress, feelings of failure or disappointment, and weight gain.
Listen to your body to nourish your body
Often, traditional “diets” fail us because we feel deprived or they do not always “fit” into our lifestyle. Deprivation and mindfulness cannot be practiced simultaneously, since it means ignoring the signals from the body and being judgmental about your personal needs. Being mindful about your hunger cues and listening to your body can help you feel well nourished and satisfied after eating; it can eliminate stress.
Nutrition has shifted away from the traditional diet culture and towards an overall healthy food pattern and intuitive eating. Studies show intuitive eating is easier to follow and maintain, and leads to improved, lasting outcomes, including healthy weight, blood pressure, self-esteem, mental health, and body image(1).
Being Mindful of Your Hunger Cues
As a method of mindful and intuitive eating, many Registered Dietitians are now recommending eating 2-3 small snacks in between your traditional meals as an effective method for meeting (and not exceeding) daily nutrition goals while helping you to feel full and satisfied. While snacks often get a bad reputation, planned snacks can be a great way to be mindful of your body’s hunger cues.
A mindful snack, similar to a meal, is anticipated and planned: it is eaten over the course of 15-30 minutes, and should be satisfying to you! Often, the most satisfying snacks are high in protein and paired with a high-fiber food. Mindful snacks can help you combat midday energy crash or nighttime cravings, since your body will not feel as hungry. Snacking is not grazing or mindless eating, which both ignore your body’s messages.
Mindful Snacking as a Mindful Part of Your Day
- Get into an eating routine. Incorporate meals and snacks into your daily routine to help you to be mindful of when it is time to refuel and when it is not. If you need a reminder, set alarms in the morning and afternoon to take a moment to reconnect with your body and ask yourself if you need to refuel.
- Plan ahead. Being mindful about your snacks means thinking about your needs, not only in that moment, but your future needs. The best advice I ever heard an RD share was to always know where your next two meals or snacks are coming from. As you are eating breakfast, you should know what your mid-morning snack and your lunch will be. Preparing a week’s worth of snacks may not work for everyone – being mindful is more about methodology. However, you may find that having fruit and vegetables cut up in your refrigerator works for you. By planning ahead, you will be less likely to graze or mindlessly snack.
- Enjoy every bite. As my Instagram (@firstlovefood) handle will tell you, my first love in life is food. Give yourself permission to enjoy what you are eating, Choose snacks that not only taste good, but also make you feel good. Before snacking, ask yourself these mindful questions:
-How will this snack make me feel after I’m done eating? In an hour? In two or three hours? At the end of the day?
-Will this snack help me to feel full until the next time I eat or will I be tempted to eat too large of a portion or graze on something else?
-Is this something I enjoy eating or am I just eating it seems “healthy”?
Do you think you snack mindfully? Comment below and start a conversation.
About Mindful Monday
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Resources
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Bacon, L., Stern, J. S., Van Loan, M. D., & Keim, N. L. (2005). Size acceptance and intuitive eating improve health for obese, female chronic dieters. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(6), 929-936.