New Year, New Self Awareness: Exploring Mindful Eating Practices

By Lacey Dabelow LCSW

As we enter a New Year, if we listen closely, we can hear chatter about New Years’ Resolutions. Many of these may include an increased highlight of nutrition and exercise. While nutrition and exercise can be a fun and has many benefits for our health, many times during this time of year the messaging about nutrition and exercise is through diet culture’s lens. The messaging comprises of shame around what and how much one may have consumed during the holiday season and proposing the invitation to participate in food restrictions as a solution. But what if this year we avoid jumping on the New Year New You Diet Culture train? What if we got curious about a New Year from a perspective of New Year, New Self-Awareness? A Self- Awareness that explores our relationships with food and implements mindfulness practices. A simple explanation of mindfulness means using each of our senses to experience an event or a routine activity.

For a quick and easy start, here are a few activities to try.

Explore your relationship with food through Drawing. This can be a fun self-awareness activity.

Draw your relationship with food – Simply take out a piece of paper and drawing utensils and draw your relationship with food. What self-awareness can you glean by looking at the pictures? How are your current routines or habits impacting your food choices/ routines? How is your culture celebrated? What may be a next step in your self-awareness journey to heal (if needed) any patterns (i.e., emotional eating, rushed/mindless eating) related to your relationship to food?

Mindless Eating vs. Mindful Eating

In the last week, how many of us have eaten while driving, eaten while at our desk working or in front of the TV? This kind of eating is called mindless eating. Mindful eating is an opportunity to increase our self- awareness about food choices, what our foods really taste like when eating slowly and mindfully. It is an invitation to use all your senses to experience our eating activities.

You are invited to participate in a mindful eating experience on your own or with others simply using these prompts below. If you are trying this alone, you can journal your experience after or you can share the experience through conversation if you are trying this with others.

Mindful Eating Activity

Find a time in the next week to take one item of food (grape, strawberry, piece of candy, a carrot, any item of food it fine, just choose ONE item).

As you look at this food item, pretend this is your first time seeing this food. Get Curious.

Start asking yourself and answering the following: What does this look like? What shape is it? What color is it? Does it reflect in the light? What is its’ temperature? What is its’ texture? Where did the food come from, was it grown in nature or made in a factory?

Next, bring the food item toward your nose. Do you smell anything? Are you beginning to salivate? What feelings are you having about anticipating eating this food? Does this food trigger any memories for you?

As you place the food into your mouth, roll it on your tongue before chewing the food Slowly…. Focus your full attention on its’ taste and texture. Be Aware of any desire to rush through chewing the food. Be Aware of the intention to swallow the food item before you swallow it. After swallowing, notice how far into your body you can still feel the food.

Continue these self-awareness practices with drawings or with mindfully eating other foods or full meals and notice the benefits of mindful eating and exploring your relationship with food as you continue into the New Year.

Lacey Dabelow LCSW, is a Certified Mind Body Medicine practitioner, and Certified Intuitive Eating practitioner.  She has been with Universal Health Services (UHS) for 6 years, currently training in Executive Leadership in Phoenix, AZ. Lacey has an extensive career in the Health and Mental Health field in the community and in health care settings.  She received her B.S. degree in Psychology from Indiana State University in 2001, and her MSW from Indiana University School of Social Work in 2007.  She presents at conferences and other venues on mind body topics, integrated care and previously at the Indian High Commission in London, England, speaking on Women Empowerment. Lacey has a passion for traveling, enjoys swimming, nature, reading and playing games. Currently training in Executive Leadership at Valley Hospital in Phoenix. https://valleyhospital-phoenix.com/