We are familiar with the scenarios: a quick lunch at the office, dinner & Netflix, at times it happens when we are alone. How do we train ourselves in order to eat what our bodies ask of us in spite of what our emotions dictate? There are a series of factors that influence the way we eat as well as what we eat. What starts from the shopping cart and ends with the quantities of food we consume is an element of self sufficiency and awareness.
Let’s start with the consequences- bloating, weight gain, depression, low self esteem, lack of motivation, binge eating. We are somewhat aware of the eating mistakes we make, yet we choose to turn a blind eye, because “we will change something next week”.
We can avoid such outcomes by following some guidelines such as: no shopping on the run or when we are hungry. What we should do instead is to either have a shopping list at the ready, or to give ourselves time to explore the available ingredients in the store and to visualize the way we will use the products we buy. It is a process that does not focus on the final result and it starts with knowing the ingredients.
We now have a tendency to focus less on where ingredients come from, but we should pay closer attention to this in the awareness process. And we are not only referring to the processing levels. Aside from this, the environment our food comes from tells a story of origin which can make us further delve into the qualities and uses of a certain ingredient. It is a source of inspiration and creativity for what we are about to put on our plates.
Once the ingredients are purchased, their storage is another key-element. It is important to leave in sight the healthy ingredients and products if we are prone to snack whilst working or watching a TV show. When we see food, we want to eat. It is an instinct we inherited some generations ago, when resources were scarce- in order to deposit energy into our bodies.
The brain sends a signal that it wants to eat, thus the body is no longer in control. It is not the ideal scenario and the focus should not be on the wants but rather the needs. The body knows what it needs, when and how much. This aspect leads to the next key factor: one action at a time.
When we eat, it is recommended we focus on what is on our plate compared to focusing on getting our fill. This means that before we sit down at the table, it is clear that we are hungry and the food is demanded by our bodies. This way, we make sure we are not distracted and we are paying attention. It may seem a bit challenging, as some of us have the tendency to catch up on work tasks, to watch a movie, to scroll through social media, to… do whatever else. This happens because somewhere along the line we took on efficiency, multitasking, in order to not waste time. And we found that the best time to do so was during one of the most important activities of the day, which is meal time.
We suggest an exercise for your next meal: look at the time before sitting down at the table. You have nothing else in sight except for your food. Pay attention to each bite and each ingredient that makes your food and explore each mouthful. As your mind is focused solely on one activity, after 20 minutes your body will signal your brain that it had its fill. This way, we manage to avoid excess and we truly have a moment to recenter as we do something beneficial to ourselves. And sharing a meal with someone will distract us from other external factors.
Of course, this is an exercise applied to healthy and nutritional food that is meant to help us and give us energy throughout the day. The difference between nutritional food and comfort food is given by desire. The final decision is influenced by our objectives and if it is more important than certain cravings. We eat to live and not vice versa, thus it is more important to pay attention to our actions.
The Nutriento concept is based precisely on this belief, that the objective sets the habit, thus our products follow the strict guidelines of objectives you set for yourselves and offers perfectly adjusted solutions.
