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.
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?
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)
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.
