How often do you eat a meal or snack while mindlessly scrolling on social media or parked in front of your TV watching your favorite sitcom? For me, the answer used to be often.
I am a bit of a workaholic and I love to maintain efficiency as often as I can. This has led me to seek efficiency even while I am eating. During breakfast, I will find myself eating while scrolling through social media answering questions about nutrition. At lunch, I will find myself eating while still working on whatever work tasks I have for the day. When I snack I will often find myself throwing a handful of mixed nuts, blueberries, or a Perfect Keto bar down the hatch without giving it much thought.
When we eat food, it isn’t just our digestive systems that do the processing. Our brain also processes what we eat, the macronutrients contained within it and communicates this message to the rest of the body letting it know its current nutrient and energy status. Thus, the problem with this distracted approach to eating is that we are disabling our mind from recognizing the foods we are eating and sending out the appropriate signals in response to those foods.
This mental processing of the foods we eat is important. It is what allows us our brain to tell us if we are hungry, full, and even deficient in particular nutrients. When this processing isn’t functioning or is interrupted by external stimuli, we are likely to experience a lag in this signaling. This lag is what can cause us to feel hungry after we eat and increase our desire for continued snacking and potentially overeating.
It is also worth it for us to pay attention when we are eating to that we may actually enjoy the food and be grateful for its ability to provide us with energy, nutrients, and delicious taste. A positive mindset that will surely spill over into other areas of our life.
The point today is that you should pay attention when you eat. Put the phone down, turn the TV off, and be present. Of course, we are all living crazy and busy lives but I think it is safe to say that if we prioritize it, we can find a few moments each day to be aware and present while we are eating. By tasting your calories and being attentive while eating, you will find much better harmony between your brain, digestive system, and overall health.