Try three mindful mouthfuls with me!

This week's training for me has been learning more about inflammation, sugar and metabolic syndrome

One of the things that stood out was about intermittent fasting

I know a lot of people have tried it and found it works for them

I haven't gone as far as the 5:2 system, as it's too restrictive for me

But I have tried to extend the length of time between finishing eating in the evening and the first meal of the day

Most of the research around intermittent fasting was done on men

And for women, the effect of stress on the hormones has to be taken in to consideration as well, particularly if you are pre-menopausal

So the research shows that a window of 13-14 hours is enough

And that the bulk of this should be done at night

Breakfast is very important for regulating blood sugar, so the ideal is not to have breakfast too late - which means finishing eating early evening in order to get 14 hours of not eating

This is more of a challenge for me - I often eat late because of classes so was happy to wait until 11ish to have brunch

So I'm now going to see how I can adjust that

The other thing I loved that the nutritional expert (Kirsten Chick) introduced was 3 mindful mouthfuls

Mindfulness has been shown to be really effective in combating stress, among other things, but it's not always something that I remember to do

By introducing it into mealtimes, it makes it easier to remember and gives you a focus

It can help with digestion as well:

- helps to prepare the digestive system for the food that's coming (and the digestive system can be switched off by stress)

- helps with digestion as you slow down and enjoy your food

- helps with satiety and less likely to overeat

Here's her steps to mindful mouthfuls:

1. look at the plate and enjoy it like it's a work of art
2. lean in and smell the different aromas
3. allow and encourage a sense of gratitude
4. slowly savour the taste and sensation of your first mouthful - chew thoroughly
5. pause to get your next forkful and repeat the process for two more mouthfuls

It reminds me a little of how you might eat if you were out at a fancy restaurant, where the meal is much more about pleasure rather than just feeding your face!

I must admit, since I have cut down on coffee it does make that first cup of the day a real treat

So I have found myself savouring it more now

The challenge is now to bring that to every meal...

Let me know if you give it a try and how you get on!