Mindfulness diet

Whether it’s working your through a packet of biscuits without noticing, polishing off a bag of sweets during a car journey, or wondering how that huge bowl of tortilla chips emptied while you watched a TV film, it’s the bad diet habit that will have every woman sighing in recognition.

Eating without really thinking about what we’re doing allows us to mindlessly consume thousands of calories.

As a clinical health psychologist and a nutritionist at the prestigious Duke University Centre for Integrative Medicine in the U.S., we see many overweight patients who tell us that they suffer from this common compulsion — and just how destructive it is. After all, three barely-noticed bites of food per day can add up to 100 calories and, over a year, those small snatched mouthfuls can mean a 10 lb weight gain.

 It’s hardly surprising. With so much processed and convenience food all around us, temptation is constant.

Unhealthy eating habits can quickly become stored in our brains as automatic responses that settle in the subconscious, just like the mechanics of driving or tying your shoelaces. This is backed up by brain chemicals that trigger every time we eat bad food, meaning emotional eating also becomes a hard-to-shift habit.

If you really want to lose weight and stay there, you have to break those food associations and build new ones in the brain — and that means learning to eat mindfully.

That is the idea behind our new book, The Mindful Diet, which combines psychology with cutting-edge nutritional research to help break the yo-yo dieting cycle.

Instead of suffering on restrictive eating plans and constantly feeling deprived, this diet will teach you to eat healthily without any effort, so you learn to really enjoy your food.

This is all done through the power of ‘mindfulness’: an easy-to-learn psychological technique that gives you the chance to be ‘present’ in the moment and take stock of the messages your body is telling you.

It can, for instance, be as simple as taking a couple of breaths before putting something in your mouth, taking stock and deciding if you really want it. It helps you recognise and understand the triggers for eating badly — from being overly hungry to feeling stressed or lonely — and enables you to overcome them.

Mindfulness isn’t just another psychological buzzword: it’s scientifically proven to work. Numerous studies show that mindfulness can reduce stress, ease pain, boost immunity and even fend off depression.

At the Duke University Centre for Integrative Medicine, we work to teach people how to use mindfulness to lose weight. Clinical trials that used our approach found participants significantly decreased compulsive eating habits, improved self-control with regard to eating, lost weight at a gradual and sustainable pace, and maintained this weight loss for at least 16 months.

We have found that practising a few simple mindfulness techniques every day is enough to effectively build this self-awareness muscle, to the point where you can snap out of autopilot whenever you want, and think clearly about what you are doing — or what you were, until that point, about to put into your mouth.

In one study, two groups of dieters received the same eating advice, but one received training in mindfulness. This group reported being less likely to overeat sweets and high-fat foods — and to being satisfied with far smaller portions than they had previously eaten.

We have consistently found that people who follow our programme start to care deeply about what they put in their bodies, often for the first time in their lives.

Today, we’ll show you how to practise mindfulness, and we’ll teach you how to pay attention to why you eat and how you eat, to understand your internal and external triggers, and to listen to what’s happening in your body and your mind.

We’ll teach you how to use the power of mindfulness to slow down your automatic behaviours and make different, healthier choices. And we’ll outline the parameters of a good diet that will ensure you lose excess weight, and stay slim for life . . .

THE MINDFULNESS WARM-UP

Mindfulness is extremely easy to learn, and it swiftly gets better and easier with practise.

You just need to put aside a little time each day to try these exercises. Some might seem odd, but they will sharpen your focus, stop your mind wandering, and allow you to concentrate fully on what you are eating and why.

CULTIVATING ATTENTION

This exercise helps you learn to pay attention to what you are experiencing. Do it three times a day.

1 Stop and take a look around you. What do you see? Imagine that you have never been in the space you are in right now. How would you describe it to someone who has never been there?

2 Now, close your eyes and listen. What do you hear going on around you? Anything else?

3 Breathe in deeply. What do you smell?

4 How does your body feel overall? How do your feet feel? How about your shoulders? How does your stomach feel?

5 And what about your mind? What is it doing right now? Thinking? Planning? Worrying? Making judgments?

The idea, at this stage, is not to try to change or criticise anything you are thinking or doing, but merely to observe. Be a detective and look out for clues in your own experiences: just notice what you see, hear, smell, feel and think.

With practice, you’ll find paying attention becomes an unconscious skill that overrides the lures of mindless eating.

You might still be attracted to the seductive smell of freshly baked bread, but with your newfound attention skills you should be able to pause before acting on that temptation — and that pause could be enough to give you the power to make a healthier choice.

GIVE UP JUNK FOOD WITHOUT NOTICING 

The more you increase your intake of fruit and vegetables, the less room there will be for refined and processed foods. This is a highly effective form of ‘crowding out’: you’ll be so busy eating the good stuff — vegetables and fruit, wholegrains and legumes — that you’ll crowd out sugar and junk foods, and maybe even forget about them.

The more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less room you will have for refined and processed food 

Try ‘retrofitting’ some of your favourite dishes with simple additions that up your dose of vegetables, fruit and plant-based protein:

Chop up spinach and tomatoes and add them to scrambled eggs.

Eat a bed of leafy greens and curried lentils for lunch.

Grate or shred courgette, carrots, cauliflower or broccoli and add to sauces, casseroles, salads and sandwiches.

Mash black beans and substitute for some or all of the meat in meatballs or burgers.

Add baby spinach or kale to fruit-based breakfast smoothies.

Thicken creamy sauces and soup with silken tofu or amaranth (a grain available from Waitrose and healthstores) and millet.

Add chopped nuts to salads, porridge, yogurt, biscuits and casseroles, or substitute nut flours for some or all of the wheatflour in recipes.

Put avocado slices on sandwiches and in salads, or use as a spread instead of mayonnaise. Mix with eggs for a twist on egg salad.

Add ground flaxseed to smoothies, yoghurt and porridge for a healthy dose of plant omega-3s and mixed fibres.

20 BREATHS

Do this simple breathing exercise three times a day, every day.

1 Get settled in a comfortable seated position and close your eyes.

2 As you breathe in and out, let your stomach expand and contract. As you breathe in, imagine there is a balloon expanding in your stomach, allowing space around your organs. As you breathe out, just let the air flow easily out of the balloon.

SLOW DOWN

To help you eat mindfully, set your kitchen timer to 20 minutes, and take that time to eat a normal-sized meal 

3 Once you are settled, say to yourself silently, ‘Breathing in one,’ then ‘Breathing out one’ for the first breath; then ‘Breathing in two . . . out two,’ etc. Go up to ten, then count backwards, nine to zero.

Think of each breath as a separate event. Each breath gives you the chance to practise focusing on something and to disengage from distractions. This can be a very useful exercise when faced with temptation.

When you are on the brink of eating something you know you shouldn’t — having probably justified it to yourself — try doing this first. It gives you a moment of reflection to calm your emotions and to really question if you want that unhealthy treat, or if there’s another force at play.

MINI-MEDITATION

To get to know your mind, you have to spend time with it. Practise this exercise for five minutes every day, building to 15.

1 Set a timer for five minutes, and sit comfortably, with a straight back.

2 Close your eyes gently and breathe normally, just letting the air flow in and out at its own pace. Notice what your breath feels like as you inhale and exhale.

3 Notice what’s happening in your body and your mind. Do you notice thought? Sensations? Emotions? Observe them, and then refocus on the breath, using it as an anchor that you return to.

4 When the timer rings, you can open your eyes.

Doing this mini-meditation daily can promote a wonderful calm. It is useful for stopping emotional eating, allowing you to properly examine your motivations for wanting to lose weight, and keeping you grounded.

EATING MINDFULLY

The more you practise your new mindfulness skills and healthy eating habits, the easier and more comfortable they will become. Whatever your changes are, they will slowly but surely become what you do and, after you’ve been practising for a long time, part of who you are.

Here’s how to apply the rules of mindfulness to everything you eat:

1 Before you put anything in your mouth, stop and ask yourself: Am I hungry? Why am I eating this? Is this food supporting my health? How will I decide when to stop eating?

2 Choose a smaller dish, ask for a smaller portion (weigh your pre-diet portions — you might be surprised at how large they had become). Check your meal divides the plate, so half is vegetables, a quarter is protein and a quarter starches.

3 Slow down your eating. Start your meal with a silent mini-meditation. Stop your meal after ten bites and check your hunger and fullness signals.

Take a ten-minute break halfway through your meal before deciding if you should eat more. Consider eating with your non-dominant hand, using chopsticks, or even using chopsticks with your non-dominant hand.

Do whatever it takes to just slow things down. The body doesn’t release the hormone that signals you’re full until ten minutes after you start eating, so this will really help you realise when you’ve had enough.

At every meal, you should ask yourself:

What wholegrains can I choose instead of more refined varieties? (Wholegrains haven’t had their bran and germ removed by milling, whereas refined grains are milled — a process that strips out both the bran and germ to give them a finer texture and extend their shelf life. The refining process also removes many nutrients, including fibre.)

Where’s my protein? (Think fish, nuts, lentils, cottage cheese, eggs, lean beef or poultry.)

How many servings of vegetables and fruit am I getting?

How colourful is my plate? Can I add some greens? Some blues? Some red, orange, or yellow? A good mix will provide the range of antioxidants you need.

Is there some healthy fat (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds) on this plate?

HOW TO RESIST THOSE NAUGHTY SNACKS

Snacking and grazing are especially prone to mindlessness, so be alert to their seductive charms.

If you are tempted by a biscuit or a handful of peanuts, bring your awareness to your body sensations, thoughts and emotions and ask: Why am I eating this food? Am I bored? Am I actually hungry? If so, what’s a healthy choice? What’s going to make my body feel good?

Snacks matter, in terms of calories and nutrition, just as much as meals. If you need to eat more frequently than three meals per day, change your mindset and adjust your portions, so that you eat five or six mini-meals, each with a balance of lean protein, slow-burning carbohydrates and healthy fat.

Consider each mini-meal as an opportunity to pack in a few more servings of vegetables or fruit. If you must graze, graze like a cow: on plants. Keep cut-up celery, carrots, sugar snap peas and other vegetables in the fridge (and at work, if possible) for the express purpose of grazing.

MINDFUL FOODS

Researchers have found we are three times more likely to eat the first thing we see when we look in the fridge or the cupboard than the fifth (or tenth) thing we see. So stock up on healthy foods, display them prominently and get rid of unhealthy ones.

Vegetables and fruit. Ideally nine to 11 servings per day, six to nine from veg and two to three from fruit. It may sound like a lot, but use every meal and snack as an opportunity to get a couple of servings of fruit and vegetables.

 

Wholegrains. Two to four servings per day of brown rice, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, barley and products made out of them, such as brown ricecakes and buckwheat pancake mix, wholemeal bread, pitta or pasta, millet and muesli.

Lean protein. Six to nine servings per day of fish, lean beef, chicken, pork, turkey or cheese, cooked beans, lentils, chickpeas/hummus, edamame beans (all sources of protein, fibre and amino acids), Greek yoghurt, nuts, milk, eggs, nut butter and protein powder.

Healthy fats. Nine to 11 servings per day of olive oil, pesto, ground flax, chia or hemp seeds, avocado, butter, nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and nut butters, including peanut, almond and cashew butter). Look for cold or expeller-pressed versions of sunflower oil (for searing and other high-heat uses), extra-virgin olive oil (for baking, roasting and sautéing), walnut oil (for salad dressings) and toasted sesame oil (for flavouring stir-fries and slaws after cooking).

Natural sweeteners. If you like to sweeten your coffee or tea, consider stevia, a calorie-free, plant-based sweetener. Although honey and maple syrup are less processed than white sugar, they’re not good for you, so use in moderation.

MINDLESS FOODS

Any food containing high-fructose corn syrup, which appears to play a role in accelerated weight gain, particularly in the form of belly fat (fruit, fizzy and sports drinks, biscuits, sauces, dressings).

Anything containing partially hydrogenated oil or transfats, which raise your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Read the labels on margarine, biscuits, cakes and granola bars.

White flour, which causes blood sugar to spike and crash and triggers cravings: white bread, pasta, crackers, breakfast cereals, baked goods.

Binge foods — the ones you can’t stop eating once you start: crisps, tortilla chips, biscuits.

Unhealthy oils (corn oil, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, any oil more than one year old as oils quickly go rancid)

ARE YOU A MINDLESS EATER?

If you can tick three or more of the following, and you want to lose weight, mindfulness can help …

Do you ever

Do you eat while watching television or just because food 'is there'?

Eat until you feel uncomfortably full?

Eat very quickly, consuming a meal in less than ten minutes?

Eat while standing up or walking?

Eat while driving?

Eat when not hungry?

Eat just because food ‘is there’?

Eat while watching television?

Eat in front of the computer?

Wait until extremely hungry to eat?

Eat in response to stress or anxiety?

Eat in response to depression, loneliness, or sadness?

Eat in response to anger or frustration?

Eat in response to boredom?

Eat convenience and fast food because you haven’t planned ahead?

Eat just because others are eating?

Eat because the clock says it’s time to eat?

Only know that you’re finished when the plate or package is empty? 

Extracted by Louise Atkinson from The Mindful Diet: How To Transform Your Relationship With Food For Lasting Weight Loss And Vibrant Health, by Ruth Wolever and Beth Reardon, published by Atlantic Books.

HEALTHY FOODS YOU'LL LEARN TO LOVE

Mindfulness will help you steer away from poor food choices and will naturally intensify your desire for good, healthy, natural food. This is crucial, because the key to sustained and effortless weight loss is to eat natural foods in a mindful way.

Processed, fried and high-sugar foods inevitably lead to weight gain and disease.

But mindful eating principles will build your health and vitality at a cellular level, and naturally guide you towards a healthy weight.

You don’t have to eat perfectly all the time, but we recommend that the majority of what passes your lips supports your health.

We advocate a natural, plant-based, wholefood diet packed with the nutrients the body needs, and which minimises the inflammatory effect that junk food can have. This chemical process, which happens at a cellular level, is what triggers health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers, as well as stubborn weight gain.

The food we eat and drink plays a major role in either cooling or fuelling the fires of the inflammatory process. By minimising the foods and preparation methods that trigger inflammation, and maximising your intake of foods that protect your cells from inflammation’s damaging effects, you’ll have an easier time losing weight and keeping it off, as well as protecting against inflammation-related diseases.

Fruit and vegetables nourish your body with naturally occurring anti-inflammatory compounds.

The food we eat and drink plays a major role in either cooling or fuelling the fires of the inflammatory process and fruit and vegetables nourish your body with naturally occurring anti-inflammatory compounds

Teeming with vitamins, minerals, and phyto-chemicals (natural compounds that protect and nourish your cells) fruit and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. Today, more than ever, we need to eat ‘defensively’, and a plant-based diet is our best weapon in helping our body cope with the effects of ongoing stress, inflammation and exposure to environmental toxins.

By making plant foods the bedrock of your diet, you’ll help to protect your body against illness and encourage a healthy weight.

We recommend phasing out refined carbohydrates, sweets and artificially or sugar-sweetened drinks — all of which increase inflammation. You’ll benefit from cutting down on sugar (both in obvious sources and packaged foods that contain sugar) and choosing wholegrains instead of the refined variety you find in white bread, white rice and white pasta.

It’s a good idea to cut down on all flour-based products (such as bread and pasta) in favour of intact grains — those that have not been ground into flour — such as brown rice, quinoa and barley. While wholegrain breads and pastas are better for you than their refined counterparts, intact grains are better for your blood sugar and create less inflammation.

Cutting down on all flour-based products like bread and pasta in favour of intact grains that have not been ground into flour is a good idea

The key to keeping your blood sugar under control is limiting your carbohydrate intake to foods that won’t cause a quick spike in blood-sugar or insulin levels. This means choosing wholefoods that contain plenty of fibre, such as vegetables, intact grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. With these foods, your body has to work to access the nutrients through fibrous outer layers, so glucose is released slowly.

Every time you eat, aim for a combination of slow-burning carbohydrates (from vegetables, wholegrains and/or fruits), lean protein and healthy fat. Instead of a big plate of pasta or rice with vegetables on the side, have a small amount of wholegrain or legume pasta with broccoli and fish or chicken (protein), tossing in some pesto or avocado (healthy fat).

Instead of eating an apple (carbs) as a snack, have an apple with some peanut butter (protein and fat).

Wholefoods contain a wealth of nutrients and phytochemicals (the beneficial compounds found in plants) that can sustain health and stave off sickness. And it’s not just about what processing takes away from wholefoods, it’s also what’s added (salt, sugar and synthetic chemicals) that’s harmful to health.