Whether you call it "mindful eating" or just getting the most pleasure out of food, making the most of the eating experience can definitely satisfy you in ways that wolfing down your food never can. This offers 11 ways to squeeze the most pleasure from your food, whether eating alone or with others. For a free Binge Eating Breakthrough video course and other helpful resources, check out http://www.bingeeatingbreakthrough.com,

1. 11
WAYS TO
ENJOY YOUR
FOOD MORE

2. Some people call it mindful eating. While
that's a good term, I like to think of it as
"getting the most pleasure possible" out
of what I'm eating.
That makes me feel like I'm getting a real
treat, and taking steps to squeeze out the
most pleasure that I can is more
motivating than creating rules for myself
about what I can or cannot do when I eat.

3. By far, staying present while I eat, or
mindful eating, is the eating habit that I
have to work on, especially when I'm extra
busy, stressed, excited, or with other
people.
These strategies are simple and subtle.
They always help me remember to focus
on my food and take the most pleasure
that I can.
Here's 11 ways to enjoy your food more...

4. Chew1
Chewing food 20 times or so is a definite way to draw out
the pleasure. This seriously slows me down. If I'm in a
rush, it reminds me to not hurry through eating because I'll
miss out on the experience.
Normally a human vacuum that inhales food, this is a habit
I have to think about and make a game out of. However, by
chewing, I can notice the favors of the food. I can identify
the ingredients. I can notice the texture and temperature.
All of this really adds to me feeling complete and
satisfied...whether if I'm delighting in a treat or eating the
same breakfast I had the last 7 days in a row.
Chewing also helps to slow you down if you're with others
so you're not the first to finish your food. That way, you not
tempted to get more only because everyone else is still
eating.

5. Switch hands2
Making things more difficult is a great way to force yourself
to pay attention to what you’re doing. One simple way to
do this is to force yourself to eat with your non-dominant
hand. You can start by doing this with smaller meals.
It's also a good tip to try when you're eating with others
and want to stay focused on eating so you don't mindlessly
eat only because the other person is eating.

6. Eat with chopsticks.3
Like switching hands, this makes things slightly more
challenging. Plus, you can only have so much in one bite.
When I use chopsticks, I focus more on picking out bites.
Like if I'm eating a stir fry, I'll pick out the peppers, then the
onions, then the mushrooms, etc. This gets me to enjoy
each part.
Eating with chopsticks gets real tricky if you're eating a
sandwich. :)
I read a story about a tech company that asked a bunch of
their employees to use chopsticks exclusively for a week as
a mindfulness exercise. Although weight loss was not the
goal, everyone in the office lost weight and several
reported life changing realizations as a result of the project.

7. Put your fork down
between each bite.
4
Putting your fork down between bites of food is an
excellent complement to the chewing habit. The act of
setting your fork down forces you to focus on chewing your
food rather than letting yourself mindlessly pick at your
plate for your next bite.
It also encourages you to slow down and attend more to
the taste of your food, instead of just shoveling it down
your throat as quickly as possible.

8. Close your eyes.5
Whether its just for the first few bites or the whole
meal, close your eyes as you chew. Now you can really
focus on the flavors, the ingredients and how they
interact, and the texture as it changes.
In a world of distraction, closing your eyes gives you control
over your experience.

9. Identify every
ingredient.
6
Like a chef or professional taste tester, it can be fun to
identify every flavor and what you're eating.
If its strawberry ice cream, can you taste the strawberries?
What about the milk or cream? If its a marinated steak, can
you distinguish the ingredients in the marinade? Is it
tangy, peppery or savory?

10. Put your food on a
plate.
7
I am guilty of eating from the container or bag often when
I'm alone. Getting out plates seems unnecessary.
However, putting food out on a plate instead of eating from
the bag helps me to be aware of what I'm eating and feel
more satisfied with a smaller amount.
If I finish my plate, that's one thing. But if I finish the whole
container, that might be double the amount of food.

11. Sit down.8
Like eating from the container, I often like to stand up while
I eat because I'm in a rush, or sitting down seems
unnecessary.
Honestly, what's so important in my life that I don't have
time to take 15 minutes to stop and nourish myself? Sitting
down tells our mind to focus on the activity instead of
thinking about bolting off to the next one.

12. Make a big deal out of
it.
9
If you're sitting down and eating on a plate, giving yourself
the food you want the most, why not celebrate that? You
could die tomorrow and you would've missed the
opportunity to really get the most pleasure from your life!
Seriously, though, if you're eating, you're giving your body
energy to be alive. If you didn't eat, eventually you would
lose energy and die. The reason you get to be alive and
active in your life is from taking care of your body...and
what a fun way to do so.

13. Get quiet.10
Turn off the television, computer and other distractions to
eat in a quiet manner. Like closing your eyes, it helps to
eliminate distractions.
You can hear the voice in your head more easily, and you
can guide it to focus on the flavors in your mouth.

14. Be thankful.11
Consider what it took to get the food to you to eat. Not only
was it the sun and rain nurturing the
vegetables, fruits, grains and animals, but the labor that
goes into
harvesting, processing, packaging, shipping, delivering, stoc
king and offering or serving you your food. It's a big deal.
It's no small feat to get that amount of food to people
around the world every day.
All of that effort is for you. It's for you to have the food you
want, when you want it. Consider offering thanks for how
fortunate you are to have food that's so accessible and the
means to afford what you have.