Try mindful eating to know your body's hunger signals

Sitting at the dining table, digging in the plateful of upma is highly refreshing with a cup of tea to go with—provided you are famished. Just chomp on the soggy but granular upma, savouring the salty starch. Don't forget to sip mouthful of tea in between, feel the narcotic rush of caffeine and sugar as well as the enveloping fat of the milk. You will feel your body responding to the food, and you are awash with a sense of fullness—great! try this way every time you eat.

But how many of us have time to eat peacefully, without having to frequently swipe our smartphones. Studies have found people eating so quickly without enjoying food that many hardly look at the plate. They don't even care if they chew on some insect fallen into the food—just let go. Mindful eating has long been the mantra for health.

Some reports say eating slowly was alien to most Europeans and Americans, given the daily bum-rush to work and home and other distractions; call it the bane of urban culture. When the Eastern cultures, especially Buddhists introduced the idea, many European jumped at it, and there started a fad—which most recently made some food buffs in USA to campaign for "slow food nation" It obviously throws into stark contrast the prevalent " fast food' culture. Now mindful eating is easier said than done, as it is followed by only its die-hard fans alone. Try mindful eating to know your body's hunger signals

Mindful eating can bring your body and mind together. In fact it connects external with internal. Eating is second only to oxygen in terms of survival. We can't ever satiate hunger, which repeats in bouts spaced by hours. You eat now to full, yes tummy full, but just a couple of hours later you are hungry again. This activity offers every individual an opportunity to be more observant of body and mind. Few grab the opportunity to pay attention. There is a benefit in paying attention. When you observe food in the mouth, your mind gets mingled with it, your thoughts peter out slowly, calming you. Fewer the number of thoughts you have, greater the mental peace. If you are somebody looking for ways to cut down thoughts, there is no better way than mindful eating. Here are a few more things about mindful eating. Never go at food the way a charging bull does, go slowly. Have a small sip of water to moisten your esophagus; you can forgo water and try some other vegetable drink. Just only so much. When you eat rapidly, you are more likely to eat more than you want.

Those hit gym to cut weight should first reduce speed of eating. In about 20 minutes of slow eating, your body, according to studies, will send message of satiation. If you are in a hurry, you will go on eating without listening to body signals. The next thing you will notice with slow eating is increased taste of the food. The food may not have much difference if it is from the same source—of course there are mild variance each day though. Eating slowly suddenly makes you say that "Wow!, it is tastier". Only you didn't notice it yesterday.

Many would argue against mindful eating doing any help on health, except adding joy. The truth is the sense of comfort you gain from slow eating, coupled with peace of mind, would work on your whole system, Your body will respond differently to food, quite unlike it did previously. Most important benefit form mindful/slow eating is you can stop being a binge eater. Practising it daily could stop you from eating unwanted foods, over eating, and eating erratically—for example eating quickly again after a meal. Remember eating is a culture which touches us deeply—very deeply. Everyday!