Why mindful eating contributes to better health

Cabbage and kidney bean soup to be served with toasted herb bread

A winter staple at Chez Rockwell

Where did the notion of mindful eating come from? It was defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the original developer and leader of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School  as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”  His book 1990 book Full Catastrophe Living offered guidance on living mindfully based on his experiences with this program since 1979.

In my world, mindful eating is also related to mindful grocery shopping, meal preparation and cooking, using two old broad-friendly appliances — the slow cooker and the toaster oven. How food is prepared and how it’s presented contributes to an awareness of what we are putting into our mouths. Are we eating to live, living to eat, or comforting ourselves with food to combat stress? Stress eating can easily get out of control and requires effort to address. No doubt there are many among us who would benefit from having a meal buddy, someone with whom to interact while mindfully dining; eating slowly, chewing well, and drinking enough water with the meal to ensure healthy digestion. 

Here at Chez Rockwell, mindful eating is only one component of my daily living as I safely and healthily age with cerebral palsy. That journey began in toddlerhood when it was clear that I’d require a lot of nutritional input each and every day, to accommodate carrying my tiny body around wearing waist high metal braces and using forearm crutches. I learned all about the importance of the grocery list back then, too. A grocery list is critical to nutrition awareness as it helps one to ‘colour within the lines’ if items are organized by grocery aisle or a relationship to each other, as a menu is planned. It also ensure less wasted food and money. 

I rely on ‘the list’, to organise daily menus to include 3 meals/day plus snacks, preparing main dishes that are nutritious and accommodate 3-4 frozen servings which makes them both cost and energy efficient. This is especially important for those among us on fixed incomes who find healthy eating financially challenging. 

Being on my own, it’s critical that food preparation be energy efficient, as I cannot know from one minute to the next when my heart is going to hurt and I go into a fatigue slump, or I’m going to feel nauseated, or my eyes are going to go blurry. I still have to eat well. In that regard, I’m very disciplined, choosing foods that contribute to my continued wellness.

Because I drink a lot of water through the day, I don’t always have it with a meal, but hydration before a meal will ensure mindful eating of what’s on your plate and reduce the risk of over-eating. Insufficient hydration continues to be a major concern amongst the senior set. A few glasses throughout the day improves physical performance as well as mental acuity — win-win. So drink up and do the crossword puzzle.

Easy access to information has acquainted us with the Mediterranean diet, which is fruit, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and vegetable oils. In essence, it’s also about mindful eating.  A key feature of mindful eating that cannot be ignored — improved nutrition concurrently reduces dependence on a range of medications used to treat various conditions and diseases. The internet is great for gathering information about vitamins, minerals, benefits of certain foods, and how to incorporate healthy eating into your day, but equally important is having conversations with your doctor and other caregivers about how you can improve nutrition with the goal being to reduce dependence on medications.

I’m fortunate to have a lot of help with meeting my nutritional needs. The bulk of my food is purchased at Victory Meat Market where I’ve shopped since the 70s; they provide me with a helping hand by doing the shopping for me, based on a list I email to them. The fatigue factor associated with aging with cerebral palsy doesn’t allow me to do a big shopping on my own. I have to really think about what I need and what I’m going to prepare as the list is developed, though sometimes I miss a few things. That shopping trip takes care of almost 2 months worth of shopping. Then the batch baking and cooking begins, filling up the chest freezer as previously prepared meals in stackable containers are moved to the fridge freezer. 

Mindful eating, with its various components, has served me well for decades and I am confident that I will continue to do well, home alone, with many years of fine dining ahead.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca