Have you heard about the physical and emotional benefits of gratitude? According to studies, it can make you feel happier and may even improve your physical health. One of the many things you can feel grateful for involves food ,and gratitude is also a way to take your mindful eating experience up another notch. Spending a little bit of time before each meal practicing gratitude can help you to build a super strong appreciation for the journey that your food has been on before it reaches you. Think about what was involved in getting your food to you. Who was involved in this journey and what did it take to make it happen? Asking yourself these questions encourages you to move away from seeing your food solely as an end product and helps you to feel grateful for what you’re eating. It can be super easy to take food for granted when it’s so readily available. A few ways to bring gratitude into the equation:

• Express your appreciation for the food on your table.
• Thank every single person that you imagine was involved in its production and journey to you. Keep this thought in mind as you eat.
• Give thanks for the fact that you are able to make your own choices about food and can choose what to eat and when.

Spending even a few minutes at the start of a meal doing this can be a great way to start your mindful eating experience.

Eating with your non dominant hand can help you master Mindful Eating

Have you ever tried to perform tasks with your non dominant hand and found it super hard? Strange as it may sound, this is something you can use during mindful eating to make your efforts more successful. How does this work? It takes away the autopilot, for starters, and forces your brain to think more about what is involved. You’ll probably find that your hand doesn’t unconsciously make its way towards your mouth in quite the same fashion and that usually means that you won’t overeat in a short time frame. And it has the effect of slowing down your eating a lot. Mostly because it can be super awkward to master, especially in the beginning! It can be super effective though – even more so than putting your fork down in between bites. The latter requires a bit more effort on your part to keep reminding yourself to put the fork down whereas using your “other” hand doesn’t need the same conscious effort once you’ve committed to swapping hands And as an added bonus, the added challenge of giving your brain something different to work with helps to keep your brain sharp. Try eating with your non dominant hand for a meal or two and see if it slows down your eating and forces you to be more mindful! Even if you don’t have the patience to use your non-dominant hand for a whole meal, just doing it for part of it can slow down your eating and gives you a great chance to use mindful eating tactics. The information contained in this document is being provided to you for educational, informational and self-empowerment purposes only. This content is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure any disease or medical conditions. Always follow your local, state and federal laws related to scope of practice. This content is not intended to replace medical advice or guidance from a licensed professional. Please consult your doctor or licensed practitioner if you have any questions regarding the suggestions made in this content, are taking any medications or have any pre- existing conditions. Use this information at your own risk.