Inspired Healing Podcast

How to Use All Your Senses to Enjoy Your Food! Use all your senses to enjoy a small bite of a healthy piece of food.

Today’s exercise incorporates all of the senses — touch, sight, taste, hearing and smell — and will allow you to build on the skills that you have learned during the past weeks.

You will need three cashews or peanuts or some berries and the journal or device you’re taking notes in. If you don’t like eating nuts, you can use another small piece of food such as:

• slice of pineapple

• grapes or berries

• cherries, strawberries

Once you’re seated in a comfortable position, follow these steps:

1. Hold the cashews in your hands and examine them. What do you see?

2. Next, notice how the cashews feel in the palm of your hand. What is their texture like?

3. Now, bring the cashews to your nose and inhale. What do you smell?

4. Next, bring the cashews to your ear, moving them back and forth between your fingers. What do you hear?

5. Finally, choose one cashew and place it in on your tongue. Slowly move the cashew around your mouth, honoring any feelings or sensations that arise. When you’re ready, begin to chew slowly, noticing the taste and how it changes over time, then swallow.

Take notes on your experience of eating the first cashew before eating the next one.

I love this exercise. It really makes you appreciate even the smallest piece of food. We are always in a hurry to eat and by slowing down, looking at our food and being grateful for it we change not just our habits but our whole way of looking at life.

Check out the best supplements for your health here: https://turmericheals.com/

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

Make a meal last 20 minutes.

It’s easy to eat meals too quickly, especially when you’re busy. Eating breakfast on-the-go, grabbing lunch during a short break from work, or trying to finish dinner before your child’s bedtime are all common ways we speed through a meal without paying attention to hunger and fullness cues.

In today’s challenge, you’ll take at least 20 minutes to have your meal. Aside from appreciating your food, eating slowly may help you realize when you’re becoming full, as it takes the body some time to send satiety signals to the brain.

In fact, research shows that eating slower results in significantly greater feelings of fullness and may even reduce calorie intake (1, 2).

For this challenge, make your meals last for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can take notes on whether you noticed changes in fullness or satisfaction. 

Here are a few helpful tips to make your meal last 20 minutes:

1. When sitting down to enjoy your meal, take a minute or two to appreciate your food.

2. Notice the color, texture, and aroma of your meal before digging in.

3. In between bites, put your fork or spoon down and chew your food thoroughly before swallowing.

4. Take a deep breath before picking up your utensil for your next bite.

Keep going you are doing amazing!

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

How to Identify positive feelings around food and how to feel positive around food.

Being aware of the emotions that surface during meals can give you a better understanding of how food affects your mood and why you tend to gravitate towards specific foods when you’re feeling a particular way.

In today’s challenge, we’ll be focusing on your positive feelings (or lack thereof) when enjoying a meal. In theory, food should make us feel good, as eating is a pleasurable experience. (For some of us, food may not bring positive feelings for a number of reasons, and that’s OK.) 

When eating a meal, ask yourself the following questions. As before, jot down your answers:

1. Is this meal surfacing any positive feelings? If so, what are they?

2. What is making you feel good? Is it the food itself, the atmosphere, or the people with whom you’re enjoying your meal?

This challenge is simply meant to bring more awareness to the feelings that you experience when eating, without judgment, so eating may become a more joyful experience for you.

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

What Triggers Your Hunger? Understand your hunger triggers.

Today, we’re taking a step back from focusing on food and concentrating on hunger and what triggers it. Hunger is your body’s way of telling you that energy levels are getting low and that it’s time to refuel. Hunger is driven by:

• low blood sugar levels

• stomach and intestinal emptiness

• hormonal changes

However, a feeling of hunger or strong cravings for food can also be brought on by things like boredom and stress. 

Being aware of what situations or feelings typically trigger hunger or cravings can help you decipher whether you’re truly hungry and need to refuel your body or if you’re being driven to eat for other reasons. You can do this exercise at any time, not just around a meal.  

Think about the following questions and write down your answers:

1. What happens in your environment that triggers your hunger?

2. Why do these situations stimulate hunger or food cravings? 

3. What feelings do these situations evoke?

4. Think back to a time when a situation that you were in triggered hunger, cravings, or overeating. Were you actually hungry or was something else driving your desire to eat?

Congratulations: You’ve made it halfway through the challenge!

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

Involve your sense of smell. Take in the aroma before you eat.

Smell and taste are closely related, and the scent of food plays a large role in the satisfaction and joy we get from eating. Let’s continue to engage your senses by focusing on smell.

For today’s challenge, close your eyes before you’re about to eat and truly take in the aroma of your meal. With your eyes closed — so as not to have visual distractions — ask yourself the following questions:

1. What smells are coming from this dish?

2. Does the scent of the food make you hungry?

3. Is one smell overwhelming or can you smell the individual components of the meal?

4. If you could only smell the meal and not see it, would you be interested in eating it?

As before, jot down your answers in the journal or device you’re using for this challenge so you can refer back to them.

Concentrating intently on the aroma of the food you’re about to eat can help bring awareness to your meal, enhancing pleasure while making you more mindful of your eating experience.

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

Engage your sense of sight. Use your eyes to see the beauty in the food you eat.

Using your sense of sight to recognize the beauty of the individual ingredients in your meals can increase your appreciation and excitement for your food.  

Taking time to study your food before you eat is today’s challenge. When preparing your food or before meals, ask yourself the following questions and take notes about what you learn:

1. What are the components of your meal?

2. What colors do the individual parts of the meal have?

3. Do you think this meal looks good? If not, why do you think that might be?

If you don’t find your food appealing, try adding visual interest to meals and snacks with brightly colored herbs, vegetables, or fruits. For example, a spoonful of chopped parsley sprinkled over fish or fresh berries topping your typical snack of plain yogurt.

Keep up the great work!

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

Be thankful for your food.

It’s easy to rush through your meals without taking the time to appreciate the food on your plate. Considering the origin of the food that nourishes your body may lead you to make better decisions for your health and the health of the planet.

Before eating meals and snacks today, ask yourself the following:

1. Where did this food come from? If you aren’t sure, that’s OK. 

2. Did this food have to travel a long distance to reach your plate?

3. What went into raising or growing your food? How long did it take?

After asking yourself these questions, take notes about any feelings or thoughts you may have in your journal or smartphone. 

With this simple mindfulness exercise, you can develop a better understanding of how connected — or disconnected — you are to the creation of your food. To develop a deeper connection with your food, try cooking your own meals, buying locally grown food, and learning more about where your food comes from.

Your doing great! Keep it up.

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

Reflect on your first week.

You’ll be finishing up this first week of what will be the 21-day Mindful Eating Challenge with a mini meditation. Practicing meditation before your meals can calm your thoughts and remove distractions so you can have a more mindful eating experience. Meditation may also help you become aware of your eating habits and even form a better relationship with food.

So check out our Meditation for the Soul Youtube channel - Link below and select a meditation that you feel will complement this challenge.

This meditation is meant to be done before you eat. When you’re ready, be seated in a comfortable position in a quiet space.

When the meditation is completed, enjoy your meal, applying the mindful eating practices that you’ve learned over the past week. 

Use your journal or other device to write down any thoughts or feelings that you experience while eating. Keep them handy, so you can refer back to your notes throughout this challenge. 

You’ve finished a whole week of the challenge. Keep it going!

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Download our Meditations in MP3 format here: https://meditationforthesoul.com/shop-for-meditation-music

Notice emotions you experience while eating.

Many of us deal with emotional eating — basically, eating in response to stress, sadness, or other negative feelings. Mindful eating can not only help you understand the types of emotions that surround your relationship with food, but also how you may be using food to cope with certain feelings. 

This exercise can bring you more in tune with your emotions around the food you eat. You’ll need a notebook, a journal, or a smartphone or other device to take notes, because you’ll want to refer to them later in this challenge. 

Ask yourself these questions before you start eating:

1. Does this meal surface any emotions? If yes, which ones?

2. Why do you think these emotions are coming up? (It’s OK if you don’t have a definitive answer, but try to come up with a few reasons why you might be feeling this way.)

3. Are you eating this food because you’re feeling sad, stressed, or overwhelmed?

There are no hard rules for this exercise. Simply experience and honour your emotions around food. Then, write them down.

No matter what you’re feeling, try not to judge yourself. The goal of this activity is to become more aware of your emotional responses to food and develop a better understanding of how feelings can make you feel like eating.

Listen and subscribe to our Meditation Youtube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.

Ask yourself, “Am I hungry?”

Pause for a moment and consider the answer to this question. If you’re truly hungry, eat! Your goal isn’t to eat less, but rather to stop eating when you aren’t hungry.

Focus on using food for its intended purpose: nourishment. We’ll deal more with how eating is connected with emotions in tomorrow’s challenge, but for now, just focus on whether or not you’re hungry.

If you find that you’re not actually hungry, consider getting a glass of water or a cup of tea and putting off your meal for a bit — you might just be thirsty. Or, it may help to do something to distract yourself for a few minutes, like taking a short walk or doing a brain teaser.

As usual write it all down in your journal! You are doing amazing. Keep it up!

Listen and subscribe to some great meditations here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcEW9-zuPP2Zak79FBjYfg?view_as=subscriber

Join our Meditation for the Soul Facebook Group for live meditations daily here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/meditationforthesoul/

Get your FREE Secrets to Healing Prostate Cancer Book here https://www.bethehealth.com/proplus

Click this link for your FREE 15 minute consult on starting your own Podcast or Youtube Channel. Let's get you started! Click here: https://tinyurl.com/kevpod

Thanks to www.healthline.com for the idea of this challenge.