A large number of people are not on great terms with food this time when many cookeries, restaurants, and groceries are being open and shut because of a pandemic. The covid-19 pandemic is still active in a country like India. However, the country has managed to control the infection. But still, states like Kerala and Maharashtra are showing high infections, due to which restaurants and groceries are being shut.
Being a food lover, I can understand the hardship and struggle with serious food issues during quarantine or country closure. Just like everyone else, I too was fed up with being cooped inside the house, and waiting for the pandemic to end. It is not wrong to say that helplessness took over me and unable to maintain a good relationship with food. Food was the only focal point of my life that I could wield control over. That is until it started wielding control over me.
How To Manage Relationship With Food During Pandemic?
However, here are the few things that help us to deal with stress and assuage loneliness, anxiety, anger, depression, and boredom.
Mindless Eating Vs Conscious Eating
Mindless = Eating on Autopilot! The study released in 2007 says, “We make over 200 food decisions every day and we’re unaware of making most of those decisions.” It’s is no surprise to say that mindless eating leads to overeating and weight gain.
There could be a lot of factors contributing to mindless eating, such as getting bored, angry, sad, tired, etc. Smells and sights of food can also be another example of mindless eating.
Mindful = Eating with Intention and Attention! Mindful eating refers to eating with attention and intention. We listen to our bodies and eat when we are hungry and stop before we get full. In mindful eating, we generally sit at a table and eat slowly. We take time to notice the flavour and texture of our food.
Does mindful eating come naturally or do we need to build it?
You must understand that being mindful does not come naturally. It is a gradual process because it takes time for something to become a habit. Isn’t it? The important thing is to make it a part of your lifestyle.
By practising the below-discussed tips regularly, you can develop a new relationship with food. Soon, you will realize that you satisfy your tastebuds and won’t go through the entire slice. Instead of trying everything at once, try one thing at a time and practice it with different foods. Let’s begin further!
Also Read: Side Effects: What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water
Train your mind
Nutritionists say that people must understand that everything is a mind game. She says that when we succumb to unhealthy foods that things are not going as per our expectation, it is a lack of confidence and acceptance. Such behaviour might soon turn into an addiction that reflects in blood chemistry. It may also lead to metabolic syndrome diseases and obesity. Therefore, it is important to ask our self “is it going to help us achieve our health, fitness and performance goals, or detract from them?” before consuming any beverage or food. Our motto should be to eat with a purpose and not foolishly.
Eat Slowly
Nowadays, eating has completely become a mindless act which is often done quickly. Avoid this because it takes our brain up to 20 minutes to realize you are full. Hence, if we eat too fast, the fullness signal may not arrive even if we have eaten too much. While eating mindfully, we restore our attention and slow down, making eating an intentional act instead of being like an autopilot.
Apart from these, there are few other things that we can bring to our habits like understanding the difference between non-hunger triggers and true hunger for eating, engaging senses by noticing smells, colours, textures, sounds, and flavours, and appreciating your food.
