In my daily life, I try to be mindful - aware of purpose, having both situational and emotional awareness, and connecting my physical body with my emotional state. The key phrase there is the "I try" - it doesn't always come to pass that I am as engaged as I want to be, it doesn't always happen that I am fully connected - but I try. Clean Eating has helped me with mindfulness - I am so much more aware of what I put into my body and how it reacts than I have ever been. Have you ever taken more food for your plate than you were able to eat in one sitting? That is not being mindful to your body's actual needs. You were eating with your mind, not with your body.
Mindfulness concerning your nutrition is key to understanding Clean Eating. Sure, there are plenty of choices, every day at every meal - but ask yourself these questions:
- How hungry am I?
- What food looks or sounds inspiring to me?
- What does my body most need right now?
- What, if anything, am I craving? ( More specifically, what nutrients is my body telling me it is missing? )
- What Clean food items can I chose that will satisfy what I've determined above AND keep me on my Clean Eating path?
Slow down and tune into your body and its needs. What does your body's machine need right now?
If you'd like to read a post I wrote for North's blog about mindfulness, check it out here.