Mindful Eating Over the Summer

Summer is on the horizon and you know what that means. . .  vacations, holidays, BBQ's - oh my! If you're living with a chronic illness such as lupus or RA, you probably already know that this time of year can be challenging. If you're worried about how you will continue to manage your symptoms and feel your best over the summer, I invite you to come along and learn about some mindful eating strategies you can use anywhere.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindfulness has been a buzzy word these days and for good reason. It refers to using an intentional awareness of the present moment. In today's busy world, it's easy to be distracted and overwhelmed. Mindfulness aims to gently bring us back to the moment and allow us to fully enjoy it with all senses.

When we refer to mindful eating, we're applying this strategy to how we enjoy food. It's an excellent way to enjoy special indulgences and experiences, without going overboard. This is so important if you're looking to manage flares, reduce symptoms, or work towards a health goal over the summer.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

This practice has many benefits that are worth sharing:

• a more balanced approach to living & managing chronic illness symptoms

• increased enjoyment of food

• better satiety signals

• reduced stress

• reduced emotional eating

• better digestion

• easier weight management

My personal favorite on this list is number one - a more balanced approach to living & managing chronic illness symptoms. This is huge in my opinion because I know many of us get caught up in all-or-nothing thinking. When we're diagnosed with a chronic illness like lupus, we often feel like we can never enjoy certain foods again. This can feel really disheartening and make us want to swing in the other direction or throw in the towel.

When using a mindful eating approach instead, we can enjoy special treats in moderate, reasonable servings and truly savor them. When balanced with a mostly anti-inflammatory, whole foods diet and other lifestyle choices, this allows for more flexibility in our lives. It's all about choices that support our whole body health and happiness.

Getting Started with Mindful Eating

Ready to begin? Here's some tips to get started:

Engage All Senses

The foundation of mindful eating is sensory enjoyment. When we appreciate the environment around us, the sights, smells, and the moment as a whole; we're able to enjoy food more. When we eat with all the senses and are mindful to fully immerse ourselves in the moment, we often find that we need less to be satisfied. This is great news if you're trying to manage symptoms caused by inflammatory foods! Tuning into satisfaction as you eat means you can enjoy a special indulgence from time to time without overdoing it.

For example, imagine you get an ice cream cone during a beach trip this summer. You sit down in the sand, notice the feeling on your feet, feel the ocean mist, and hear the crashing of the waves. You take a bite of the ice cream and truly appreciate the sensory experience as a whole. It feels special and enjoyable, so you are satisfied with your treat without needing to eat to excess.

Compare this to mindlessly eating ice cream straight out of the tub in front of the T.V. Eating in that scenario is less likely to produce true enjoyment and satisfaction. In these cases, people often find that they eat more than they realize because they are not focused on the food. So, as you choose to partake in special experiences over the summer months take a moment to pause and consider the following:

• notice the environment

• be present with the people you're with

• notice what you see/hear/feel/smell

Eat Slowly and Savor

Another key component of mindful eating is slowing down as you enjoy your food. This allows you to check in with satiety cues, identify feelings of fullness, and stop when you're comfortably full. As you eat use the following to help you slow down:

• hydrate with water before and during your meal

• put down your cutlery between bites

• chew each bite completely

• taste a bit of each item on your plate and notice your favorites

• be aware of things you aren't enjoying and acknowledge that you don't have to finish them

• pay close attention to your fullness level, making sure to stop when comfortably full

Another great way to support satiety is by choosing items that line up with your nutritional goals along with those special summer indulgences. For example, at a BBQ you can add fresh fruit, salads, and lean proteins to your plate. Focusing on protein and fiber sources from whole foods will allow you to feel more full and satisfied. Remember, you can still have a reasonable portion of the item you're craving, but make sure to balance it out for best results!

Enjoy Seasonal Delights

During fun times of the year, we tend to focus on all of the "special" or more indulgent foods. But don't forget friends, seasonal whole foods can be even more delicious than many of those high-sugar, high-sodium foods! Plan to weave in some seasonal fruits and vegetables into your summer plans to balance out the special treats. Here are some creative ways to enjoy them:

• Make homemade frozen fruit bars

• Slice up fresh melon  

• Make crisp salads with seasonal veggies

• Grill vegetables on skewers

• Grill sweet corn and veggie slices

• Make infused water with seasonal fruit

• Freeze grapes for a delicious, cool treat

And don't forget to use the mindful eating practices mentioned above to really enjoy these foods with all your senses. I am always amazed at how incredible produce tastes in the summer months!

Keep Your Mindset In Check 

If you choose to adopt the practice of mindful eating this summer, or any time of year, remember to be truly kind to yourself. What I mean by this is that for those of us living with lupus, RA, or any other chronic disease, we must be forward-thinking.

Being realistic about the number of indulgences we can take part in is important to continue feeling our best. One of the best way to manage flares and symptoms is by adopting an anti-inflammatory eating style most of the time. So balance out those choices. Depending on your unique body's needs you might have to seek out alternatives to your favorite sweet treats most of the time and only indulge when it's truly worth it.

This can be hard, I know! But mindset really does matter here. If you view this as a form of restriction, you will likely be unhappy. If you view this as a kind and empowering choice that helps you feel your best, you will likely feel much better overall!

If you need some help deciding how to apply these strategies in your own life, I'm here for you! As an RDN living with lupus myself, I completely understand the challenge of balancing optimal nutrition with real life. Feel free to reach out if you'd like help creating a custom plan for your needs. Wishing you all the best this summer and always!