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12:30 AM 4th December 2021
lifestyle

Healthy Heart Tips: Mindful Eating

 
Mindful eating is an approach to food where you pay full attention to eating. Research has shown that eating mindfully can improve digestion, help regulate appetite, and helps us enjoy our food much more.

Heart Research UK share some simple ways to incorporate mindful eating into your daily routine:

Preparing your food

For many people, cooking can feel like a chore, but it doesn’t have to be a rushed experience or something we do on autopilot. Whether you’re chopping, slicing, or marinating, the art of being mindful when you are cooking is an ideal opportunity to focus your attention on textures, sounds and smells. If your mouth waters – you know you’re on track!

Slow down

Taking the time to eat and chew your food thoroughly will enable you to taste the essence of the food. During a meal, you could practice taking smaller bites of food, and try to put down your knife and fork between mouthfuls. You may be surprised at all the flavours that are released, that you may not normally notice.

Eating around the table

When life gets busy, it can be easy to slip into the habit of eating on the run and neglect taking time to sit down together. Trying to factor in time for sitting around the table can be beneficial for all members of a family or household, as it can help everyone switch off from the stresses of the day and provide an opportunity to reconnect, over a meal.

No distractions

We tend to eat more mindlessly when we are distracted. We also don’t taste and experience the food as much because our mind is elsewhere. Try eating with no distractions; this means eating without your laptop or phone, or when reading or watching TV, so that you can relax and enjoy your food in the moment.

Mindful eating takes practice, and the more you practice, the more natural it will feel!

Heart Research UK
Proud to stand out from the crowd, Heart Research UK is the charity dedicated to your heart. They inspire and invest in pioneering medical research, ground-breaking training and education, and in communities to improve their heart health for themselves. For over 50 years they have driven advancements in the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease to benefit patients as soon as possible.

You can find more healthy tips, recipes and advice at heartresearch.org.uk