Get Well Slow-Down Behaviors

The 10 Healthiest Dining Behaviors

 

TAKE SILENCE TO RELAX BEFORE THE MEAL

Most overeaters sit down to eat already at a high level of anxiety – the ideal state to eat uncontrollably.  Since relaxation is the opposite of anxiety, eyes closed for 10-15 seconds or for 10-15 deep breaths may be all that is needed to center oneself and relax. 

TAKE AT LEAST 20 MINUTES TO EAT

Avoid snacks and plan three sizeable, Hygienic meals each day.  In the old days, a plate of spaghetti could be “swallowed” in 3 minutes.  But a generous fruit plate or vegetable salad can’t, so time is on the Health Seeker’s side.  Pace yourself.  It takes about 20 minutes for our physiology to signal the hypothalamus that enough food has been consumed. 

PUT YOUR UTENSIL – OR FOOD, IF NO UTENSIL IS USED – DOWN BETWEEN BITES.

This habit is the BEST, if you use no other.  Let go of the fork! Put the food down! Take time to chew and to swallow, to think and to feel.  You will soon become aware of the gross and horrifying rapidity with which some people eat.  Relax, take a deep breath.  Don’t feed the nervousness within by eating faster and faster. 

TAKE SMALLER BITES

A simple trick, indeed.  The more pieces cut, the more bites to take.  Slowing down the process with smaller bites stops compulsion.

USE A NAPKIN BETWEEN BITES

Another fail-safe short-circuit of the spastic muscle that brings the loaded fork to the mouth.  It takes time to lift the napkin, use it and replace it. Take this time to focus on your food, feelings and friends.  (You end up looking well-mannered and dignified, as well)

STOP FOR 5 MINUTES DURING THE MEAL

No one will notice, probably.  Doing so gives you a feeling of control as the attachment, the bondage, the attraction between you and your food is momentarily broken.  The harder “taking 5” is for you, the higher your state of anxiety – and the more you need these 5 minutes so you can gain control again.

KEEP SECOND HELPINGS AT A DISTANCE

You will be forced to make a more conscious decision to overeat if you must ask someone to pass the food from a distance.  Perhaps, coupled with increased awareness of the other exercises, during this process of asking and reaching for more food, you will realize you have had enough.

LEAVE A LITTLE ON THE PLATE

This exercise is really difficult for some; others even feel panic.  The 20 minutes are up.  You’ve practiced all the behaviors and are beginning to feel full.  Now, another test.  Leave a few bites – don’t eat it all.  Remember, you can have more food at your next meal.  Not all the food in the world will be gone when you return to have your next meal.

LEAVE THE TABLE WHEN FINISHED

The table is a designated eating area.  When the 20 minutes (or more) are up and the meal is completed, don’t sit around looking at the leftovers.  There’s no need to bread down fragile, newfound resistance.  The meal is over, and you are free to get on with your life until the next meal. 

IF POSSIBLE, REST AFTER EACH MEAL

Even sitting down for five minutes helps digestion.  And doing so continues the composure gained during the meal.  Take a few moments, also, to congratulate yourself on having eaten yet another meal with controlled awareness. 

 

Reference: The Health Seeker’s Yearbook by Victoria BidWell