Do you feel in control of the decisions you make around food every day?

Some of you may have seen the Instagram live I did this morning with Rhiannon Lambert (bestseller author and dear friend of mine). Rhiannon is one of the UK’s leading nutritionists and one of the things we talked about was mindfulness and eating.

With the hectic lives we lead, eating can be something we do quickly, without thought, whilst we multitask! But if we can become more mindful in the way we eat it can drastically improve our relationship with food.

A big movement towards mindful eating has begun, suggesting that slower and more thoughtful eating can help combat weight problems and poor food choices.

Rhiannon shared with me some of her top tips for mindful eating:

1. Put away technology
   Watching TV or playing on your phone whilst you eat will distract you from your food. We brought this rule into our house when we recently moved house and it has made a huge difference!
   
   
2. Enjoy
   Be mindful with what you’re eating. Notice the thoughts, sensations and emotions that arise as you eat without criticism or judgement. Notice the colours, textures, smells and flavours of what you’re putting in your body.
   
   
3. Tune in
   Is your eating impacted by your mood (for example when bored or angry)? Can you start to recognise these habits and try something else to boost your mood instead (like yoga or a bubbly bath)?
   
   
4. Processed obsessed?
   Are you turning to processed food with all those hidden ingredients too much? Can you try to increase the amount of meals you make from scratch (they don’t have to be complicated!)?
   
   
5. Chew!
   When we don’t chew our food it makes it harder for the body to digest it and can make you feel unsatisfied and likely to overeat.
   
   
6. Stop and pause
   Instead of eating on the go can you take a short pause (5 minutes will do) to sit down, slow down and enjoy your food?

Rhiannon’s bestselling book, The Science of Nutrition, is out NOW.

In this book she debunks diet myths and share ideas on how we can eat well for health and happiness.

It’s backed by science and research and cuts through the noise of conflicting diet advice that seems to be thrown at us from all angles.

I am loving this book and really recommend.