Mindful eating: The art of presence while you eat - Carolyn Hansen

Home cooking is a great lead-in to intuitive, conscious eating. Photo / 123rf

Carolyn Hansen is co-owner of Anytime Fitness.

OPINION

In the fast-paced, hectic world we operate in, anything with the words “quick and easy” attached grabs our immediate attention.

Unfortunately, our diets are one of the first things that fall prey to this narrow field of quick and easy thinking. In fact, a report released by the US Department of Agriculture confirms more money is now spent in the Western world eating out than on food to prepare at home.

With Johnny’s baseball practice, Juliet’s dance classes and Jimmy’s dental appointment on the schedule today, who has time to focus on eating? When we are exhausted after a long day of work and running errands, quick and easy sounds very appealing. Sadly, eating is now a convenience rather than a healthy lifestyle habit that is too often reduced to an afterthought, “we’ll grab something on the way home”.

This mentality is behind the collapse of home cooking and one of the primary reasons we have seen a spike in related diseases, with obesity and diabetes now worldwide health issues. When our body is in a nutrient-poor environment it lacks the proper nutrients to repair, rebuild and renew our cells and tissues. This situation, if not addressed, eventually leads to ill health.

The easiest way to avoid falling prey to nutritionally dead and conveniently prepared fast foods is to flash-back to Grandma’s time and create our own delicious snacks and meals. This means getting back into the kitchen for some good old-fashioned home cooking. Home cooking eliminates the guessing game … what’s in it and how much?

The primary benefits of homemade foods are many, beginning with healthier ingredients. No guessing about what goes into the foods we are consuming when we’re in charge! We can use our budget wisely and opt for the freshest (local is best), nutrient-dense ingredients to prepare our meals with.

We save both money and calories. Paying others to cook for us adds up. Our wallet gets robbed while our body is cheated out of nutritional value. Portion size is nearly impossible to control outside our own kitchens because restaurants serve everyone the same-size portions, no matter what size they are.

Cooking and eating at home eliminates this wasteful practice because we dish out our own food portions so the temptation to clean-up overfilled restaurant plates - and the guilt if we don’t - are eliminated.

Cooking at home is a family bonding experience that offers healthy new avenues of communication exploring the value of foods and how our daily choices contribute to or subtract from our level of health and the vitality we enjoy in life.

Home cooking is a great lead-in to intuitive, conscious eating. Intuitive eating is a powerful tool used to break the mould of any type of dieting, fad or otherwise. Offering “food freedom”, this healthy mentality helps us focus on our body and its unique needs rather than generalising everything as a “one size fits all”.

There is no standard that must be adhered to. No tracking or counting. Everything is done and chosen individually, putting us back in charge of our personal life and our level of happiness.

Pair home cooking and intuitive eating with conscious eating for a grand slam. Conscious eating offers our meals what mindfulness offers the moment. Attention, and that means no distractions. No TV, computers or cell phones allowed.

This type of eating focuses on each bite of food, making us acutely aware of the textures and layers of flavour we are experiencing. Without attention and focus on the foods we consume, overeating with excess calories and weight gain often results.

Eating is not an emotional-support sport or something to use for immediate gratification. Eating is a way to boost our health and extend our longevity. Our perceptions matter. Viewing food as the path that leads to building and maintaining health gets us focused on the ingredients rather than the fancy packaging. An intuitive eater naturally chooses foods based on nutrient value and how good it makes their body feel. A conscious eater slows the process of eating down, to enjoy every moment: the tantalising aroma, the varied textures, and the simple to exotic flavours.

Foods affect every aspect of our lives. Our risk for disease, our energy levels, our weight and self-confidence are all impacted by the foods we eat.

Convenience foods offer nothing but that, convenience. They play havoc with our weight, destroying our health along the way. We may gain a few minutes short-term with “quick and easy” but without proper nutrients supporting our bodies, those gained minutes eventually turn into lost years.

Home cooking pared with conscious, intuitive eating is empowered to satisfy our dietary needs and desires (treating ourselves is important too). It boosts our health, extends our years. It’s a good thing!