Not understanding your body, how it digests and absorbs food you eat, can lead to…

“Mindless eating is when you don’t know your body, how it digests and absorbs the food that you eat, and how it gets affected by it,” said Dr Rohatgi.

 

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Calling it an eating behaviour in which you’re not aware of the quality or the quantity of food you consume, Preety Tyagi, Health Coach, Founder of MY22BMI said that it often happens when your mind is distracted and your awareness is completely absent or another activity is grabbing your attention simultaneously while you are eating.

“It is a very common phenomenon in today’s world, where everyone’s eyes are stuck on the phone or the television or the gaming machine while they are consuming food. Or when you are partying with friends and are completely distracted with having fun. Or when you are overworked and need a lot more to do, deadlines are approaching and have to be met, and you are stressed. Or when you are sad and depressed, your emotions trick you into consuming more food even when you don’t need to. All these are examples of mindless eating where your mind is not with you while you are consuming food,” Tyagi said.

Mindless eating can be seen as

*eating too much or too less in quantity
*eating too often or taking too long gaps between meals
*following a crash diet
*not being consistent and changing diet patterns frequently
*eating processed and packaged food in high quantities and frequency

What can be done?

– stick to a patterned diet according to your household and be consistent with it
– include a variety of food items daily. Make a menu for the next week and stick to it
– eat slowly and chew one morsel multiple times before ingesting (don’t gulp your food down)
– eat without watching phones or television. All focus should be on the plate. This helps in making you conscious about the quantity of food that you’re eating and the ability to know when you’re full. Agreed Shikha Gupta, hormonal expert, nutritionist and a health coach and said that by being present in the moment, and being free from any distractions can help avoid mindless eating.
– eat home cooked meals (most important)
– include a portion of protein in each meal of the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Tyagi also listed a few points that can help you plan better. 

*Plan your meals ahead of time and consume healthy ingredients. Do not let the last minute unavailability of food be the reason of making a mindless choice of junk food.
*Give importance to snacking in between meals and prep your snacks ahead of time too. This will ensure you don’t get hunger pangs which lead to you indulging in unhealthy foods.
*Address your emotional needs with something other than food. Because whatever your problems may be, the solution is not in the fridge.
*Make a conscious effort of not being near any electronic or digital devices while consuming food.
*When at work, try to sit away from your desk, somewhere where you can have some time just for eating. No matter how busy you maybe, you can always find those 10-15 minutes from your schedule for your meal times.
*Avoid munching snacks continuously while at work. Snack timings should also be designated, like a 5-minute break in between, to consume your snack, and then put it away before being back at work.

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