For many of us, life can be hectic - which often make mealtimes a rushed affair. We can find ourselves rushing to work or to that 12pm meeting that’ll leave you with 0.5 seconds to inhale your meal. That’s why at FUNDAY we’re big fans of the good ol’ term ‘mindful eating’.
Mindful eating refers to the process of being present in the moment with full awareness and attention paid to your body’s senses when eating. Mindful eating can be as simple as paying attention to the look, texture, smell and feeling of the food when sitting down to eat a meal or snack. Essentially, we’re talking about that act of slowing down, savouring each bite, the flavours and feeling of what you’re eating.
Now we’re not suggesting you meditate on one raisin for an hour straight or pay attention only to your food to make mindful eating a part of your daily life. Here, we’re breaking down what mindful eating actually is and ways you can realistically make mindful eating a part of your daily life, even when life gets hectic!
The benefits of Mindful Eating
Mindful eating can have some positive outcomes for physiological outcomes for our metabolism and digestive system when we eat. When you embark on the journey to eat more mindfully, it can strengthen the connection between the mind and the body.
Have you ever heard our gut being referred to as our second brain? Simply put, our gut has its very own nervous system. When we are more mindful and more relaxed, our digestive processes are able to work more seamlessly, and we are able to obtain the nutrients from the food we have eaten without disturbances. Think more ‘rest and digest’ and less ‘fight or flight’, when we are more mindful - it is not only better for our digestion but also for our mood!
Mindful eating is also synonymous with the process of slowing things down and being in the present moment - think less scoffing down your acai bowl while at your desk mid report-writing, and think more along the lines of carving out a set time for a lunch break where you can take the time to actually taste your food. When we slow down the pace and eat without distraction, it allows for more time to chew our food. This helps promote the release of enzymes that help with breaking down your food as well as muscle contractions in the stomach that help to guide food down the digestive tract.
Mindful eating helps us to shift our awareness to what is happening internally inside our body and helps provide us with a moment to take things slow and savour the sweet moment of eating a delicious meal or snack.
Mindful Eating with FUNDAY sweets
Speaking of savouring the sweet moments - savouring the sweet moments are what we are all about here at FUNDAY. Slowing down and enjoying a packet of our delicious lollies bursting with fruity flavours and a chewy texture is a sweet way to practice mindful eating.
As our lollies are nice and chewy in texture, it really gives you the time to savour the fruity flavours and think about all the wonderful ways your gut is going to be nourished by the prebiotic fibres.
We've especially crafted our Sour or Fruity Vegan Bears with an extra chew thanks to natural ingredients like apple pectin, to provide a sweet experience of slowly taking time to make one’s way through a packet slowly and mindfully.
A few takeaways for Mindful Eating:
Instead of eating on-the-go or in front of distractions, be in the present moment and appreciate the taste, feel and texture of the food you're enjoying! Check in with your mind and your body - see what is happening with your hunger and fullness cues as you eat. Lastly, use your senses! Feel, smell, taste and appreciate the texture of your food.
So go and grab your fave packet of FUNDAY goodies or treat yo-self to our beary tasty vegan bears for an extra chewy, extra delicious sesh of mindful eating.
