Mindful Eating: turn off your f*#&ing TV!

Did you know that the average home has more television sets than people? It's true of most...is it true of you?

Other interesting facts--

• television is watched an average of 6 hours and 47 minutes a day
  
• 66% of americans eat dinner while watching tv
  

In a bold move last year my husband Jim and I got rid of our TV (the shock! the horror!) and replaced our television with...a reading chair! It's interesting how this small (but important) shift has changed our lives.

One of the most important things that we do differently-sans telly- is that we actually eat dinner at the dining room table. We light a candle, pull up a chair, and have a healthy side of conversation with our veggies.


Many people fall into patterns of MINDLESS eating--they watch tv, play on their computer, talk on the phone, or check out facebook while they are eating their dinner. This type of behavior has consequences. When we don't pay attention while eating we:

• tend to overeat
• make unhealthy food choices
• don't enjoy the full experience of our food
  
• eat out of emotion rather than hunger

So, the first step of eating mindfully is to set the stage and remove your obstacles.
Mindful eating is more likely to happen when you are in an environment that supports it. This means removing distractions that interfere with your mealtime. It is as simple as turning off your tv, computer, and cell phone.

Once you make this small change you have achieved the first step to eating mindfully.

Try it one day a week and see how it changes your relationship with your family...AND your food.

Be well.