Comfort Cravings

How to soothe yourself without food—and how to eat healthfully and mindfully.

by Susan Albers, Psy.D.

Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet vs. Mindful Eating

“Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet” vs. Mindful Eating

Published on January 13, 2010 by Susan Albers, Psy.D. in Comfort Cravings

Have you heard about the latest fad diet? It's the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet. What will they come up with next? Could Taco Bell be a healthy choice that will lead you to be slim and trim? Or, is this just another marketing ploy? Sounds seductive doesn't it--losing weight without leaving the comfort of your car. Here is the commercial (click here to see). It implies that the spokeswoman lost 54 pounds through this "diet." However, if you read the homepage, you get a much different impression about the origins of her weight loss. Hopefully, fast food restaurants do start making offering healthier food options a priority.

Are you as sick of hearing about all the new fad diets that have come out of the woodwork since New Years Eve? If so, you aren't alone. For those who have committed to eating healthier this year, this week is tough. It's the time when people experience a significant lag in motivation. Instead of trying the latest diet (that rests on questionable principles) consider mindful eating to get you through the rest of the year.

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What is mindful eating? Mindful eating is about being conscious of why you are eating. It's learning HOW and WHY you eat, and less about WHAT you eat. Do you eat because you are physically hungry? Or, are you eating just because you are tired, bored or stressed? It is not a diet. There are no menu or recipes to follow. Imagine for a moment cutting out emotional eating. How would this change your diet?

Among many things, mindful eating helps you really taste food. You can eat an entire plate of food and not taste one bite.

Mindful Eating Exercise: Try this. Feel the saltiness of a pretzel on your fingers as you pick it up and notice the taste of the salt when you put the pretzel on your tongue. Listen to the loud crunch of each bite and the noise the chewing makes in your head. As you eat the pretzel, take note of the rough texture against your tongue, and the pressure of your teeth grinding together. When you taste food and eat conciously, you are able to determine when you are hungry and when you are full. Consider how different this approach is than mindlessly popping pretzels into your mouth while watching TV.

Do you want to pick Dr. Susan Albers' brain about mindful eating and how to stop stress eating? Here is your chance. Join the Body & Soul Magazine Whole Body Action Plan Challenge. Log into this site:
http://community.wholeliving.com/group/actionplan and create a profile. This takes one minute. From Wed. January 13th-15th, Dr. Albers will be answering questions online. Also, see tips from Dr. Albers in the January edition of Body & Soul Magazine.

By Dr. Susan Albers, Psychologist & Author of Eating Mindfully, Eat, Drink & Be Mindful, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food and Mindful Eating 101.

www.eatingmindfully.com