‘Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food,’ said Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, often referred to as the father of Western medicine.
Mindless Eating habits can lead to ill-health and obesity. Mindless eating is where someone eats on the run, in front of a computer or television; actually anywhere where little or no attention is given to the way, type, or amount of food consumed because focus and attention is elsewhere.
As an extreme example of this, I can remember an incident when I was in my early twenties where I was literally pacing the floor over some intense concern. Sometime later I noticed an empty packet of chocolate biscuit’s on the table. I had little recollection of getting the packet out of the cupboard and one by one consuming every single biscuit. My mind was so caught up elsewhere I was not even aware of eating, what I was eating or how much – but worst of all I had no memory of Enjoying those biscuits either! This was totally pointless consuming, which is what mindless consuming is.
Eat Mindfully and Listen to Your Body
Ancient and indigenous cultures lived in harmony with their bodies, knowing instinctively what they needed to stay healthy. This understanding and wisdom was passed down from generation to generation.
Food has the power to heal or harm. It’s not only what you eat, it is how you eat, when you eat, how often and how much you eat.
Take the time to notice the signals your body is sending you daily about your eating habits, through various sensations and symptoms.
To start listening to your body, some questions to ask may include:
1. Do I have immediate negative reactions after eating that can indicate food intolerance, such as: bloating, gas, belching (digestive distress), sneezing, itching, rashes, dizziness, or a fuzzy brain?
2. After my meals, do I feeling full but not satisfied or only full for a short time?
3. After my meals do I feel lethargic rather than renewed? Do I feel hyper but exhausted?
4. After eating do I feel… Sluggish, spacey, anxious, or irritable?
If you answered yes to any or all of the questions above, then the food you are eating and your relationship to it is out of balance and harmony with your body. Reconsider your relationship with your food.
Slow down the speed you are eating. By slowing down the speed you eat you are more likely to register when you are full. And taking the time to fully chew your food, helps pave the way for healthy digestion to take place.
Eat with awareness, without distractions, and utilize all 6 senses to gain full awareness and satisfaction from your food. Savior it and enjoy it!
Calmly eat with gratitude and appreciation, knowing you are being healthily nourished on all levels of your being. Eating can be a pleasure rather than a mindless ‘have to’ or greedy punishment.
When you practice mindful eating, more of what you eat will nourish you, making you feel good inside and out.
Shared on: From the Farm, Old-Fashioned Friday, Simple Saturdays, Simply Natural Saturday,Natural Living Monday, Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesday
Christie Living Naturally 
I absolutely agree with you, that food has the power to hurt or heal. What has become of our food system is depressing. The junk I see lining the shelves at the market shouldn’t be safe for human consumption. I love seeing articles like this, to spread much needed awareness!
Thanks for linking up to Natural Living Monday. We’ll be featuring your article this coming week!
Thanks for hosting Natural Living Monday so we can share our posts.
Very nice, certain foods we may need to avoid possibly because it just does not agree with us and sometimes it is just poor digestion. . . Somethings are easier than others. ACV has been helping improve my digestion so I can enjoy certain things that seemed to give me a little trouble. Lemon squeezed in water helps too. Doing this sometimes before a meal or after helps. Not perfect but helps a lot!