Reading time: 3 min.
(Healthy) snacking is becoming a big part of our daily lives. People are looking for healthy and responsible snacks that contribute to their personal goals. These goals often go hand in hand with finding balance in life. You may not have thought about it yet, but snacking can contribute to a moment of calm and mindfulness.
Time for mindful snacking then….
What is mindful snacking?
Nowadays, the focus is often on what we eat and not enough on fully enjoying what we eat. Mindful snacking is an approach to eating with intention and attention. It’s about being aware of what you want to eat, why you eat, and how it makes you feel.
The benefits of mindful snacking
Mindful snacking helps you focus on the present and fully enjoy the snack moment. It’s an ideal extension of mindfulness that creates a good feeling and a balanced lifestyle. It can be practiced by anyone, at almost any time of the day.
Additionally:
- You experience more pleasure from what you eat
- You make more conscious choices about what you eat
- You become more aware of the right portion size
- It reduces stress, improves your mood, and increases your focus...
We’ll help you get started!
How to get started with mindful snacking?
1. Eat in portions
When you have a portion of snacks with you, you naturally pay more attention to what you have and enjoy it more. You don’t constantly wonder ‘when should I stop eating’ because you’ve clearly set a limit for yourself. You can just enjoy! 😍 So decide in advance what and how much you will eat.
2. Minimize distractions
Have you noticed that you tend to eat more unconsciously in front of a screen? Avoid snacking at the computer or while using your phone. It prevents you from enjoying the snack you’re eating and it’s not a proper break moment.
3. Focus on smell, taste, texture, color...
This may sound strange, but it works! When you are aware of the taste, smell, texture, color… you enjoy the snack moment more. Research shows that in most cases we are no longer even aware of these food qualities. Use the snack moment to consciously enjoy with all your senses and reflect on the feelings it evokes.
4. Chew thoroughly
Enjoy the snack! When we’re busy working and want to eat quickly, we usually take one fast bite, so our body doesn’t even realize we just ate something. So enjoy the moment and the flavors and chew your snack thoroughly.
5. Pause after each bite
Take regular pauses between bites. Our brain usually thinks about the next bite before we’ve even swallowed the first. That’s why it’s a good tip to take breaks regularly.
There you go! Now you can truly enjoy your snacks and take the snack moment as a moment of calm and meditation. Which of these tips will you definitely use during your next snack moment? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Enjoy your snack and savor the snacking moment!