Mindful Eating: No Depression-Inducing Dieting
Ok, today I’ll indulge in this small piece of cake, and tomorrow I’ll make up for it by sweating in the gym for another 30 minutes. Sounds familiar? For those on a diet, every meal becomes a torture, because they cannot help craving the fried potatoes everyone’s eating, but reach out for a carrot salad. This approach to losing weight is often fruitless, and it is mindful eating that can help lead a healthy lifestyle.

A different perspective
As an alternative to dieting, a new movement emerged, and its adherents usually stick to a set of ideas which can be called mindful eating. It usually involves the following:- Ditching food restrictions (unless there is a disease that calls for nutrition adjustments). As a result, you stop craving everything that is prohibited.
- Eating only when you feel your body needs it. It does not mean that you can chew all the time – the body does not actually need that much food. Listening to it is a good strategy which can help you feed your body to sustain its functions, thus avoiding making food the ultimate goal.
- Eating just enough to stop when you are full. Remember that it takes some time for the body to understand it already has enough.
- Removing everything that may distract you, such as computers, TV, etc. If you are distracted, you are likely to eat more.
- Making exercising an activity that brings pleasure, not pain. Physical activity can help fight off depression, and by no means should it be a kind of punishment.
- Reevaluating your attitude towards food. It is a means of keeping the body functioning, not the purpose of life. If you stop feeling guilty for eating normal amounts of simple food, it can benefit both the body and the mind.
References:
A 20-year longitudinal study of body weight, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms – psycnet.apa.org
Fifteen-year Weight and Disordered Eating Patterns Among Community-based Adolescents – sciencedirect.com
A Review of Interventions that Promote Eating by Internal Cues – sciencedirect.com