3 Ways to Beat the Mood Food Addiction

How many times have you caught yourself either stressed, anxious, or uncomfortable, chowin' down only to realize that not only have you not even tasted what you were eating, but you've eaten it to excess. We can think of cookies, pretzels, nuts, ice cream, you name it, any little thing there is to snack on that's around. This happens to all of us, some of us have a greater propensity to do this more often and it can be detrimental to our lives.

So what do we do?

Well...here are a few things:

1. Develop the practice of mindful eating - No matter when or what you're eating, you can begin to bring attention to your senses while eating. Take a moment to actually look at the food you are eating, notice it's texture, color, etc.. Then do the same as you smell it, if you can, feel it. Then put it in your mouth and notice when you first taste it and if the taste changes as you chew. Also take a moment to reflect on where this food came from, who was involved in making it and getting it to the place you purchased it from. Beware, this practice may cause you to buy food products that are more environmentally and animal friendly.

2. Chew 50 times - That's right, you heard me correctly. Try to actually chew the food more before swallowing it. This way you actually taste the food more and it is more digested by the time it gets down into the belly so we don't have to work so hard digesting it.

3. Bring awareness to discomfort - Often times when we eat or snack we aren't even hungry. There is some underlying stress or uncomfortable emotion that manifests in the body. When you notice the craving (desire as a thought) to snack and feel the urge (physical impulse in the body), sit or lie down and bring attention to this sensation. It may come as a tightness in the chest, belly, or shoulders, or a lump in the throat. Bring awareness to this and notice it. Pay attention the actual sensations of this feeling as it eventually comes and goes. If an emotion is there (e.g., sadness, anger, guilt, shame), just bring attention to it, let it be, and take care of it as if you were parent to it. Be conscious of judgments that may arise (e.g., good/bad). Then, mentally put your arms around this part of yourself that is suffering and begin to send it caring energy. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, begin to water the seeds inside that are there to care for you.