Mindful Measurement for Meaningful Change

I’m just going to come out and say this, I’m not a fan of mindful eating as a strategy for healthier nutrition. 

It’s not that I oppose the concept, but for most people, this just doesn’t work. At least not at the beginning of a health change process. 

Something I continue to re-evaluate in my approach to coaching nutrition is the tools I recommend clients use when we are learning which dietary style works best for them. 

Notice I did NOT say “when I teach my clients the BEST DIET.” There is no “best” diet, there is only the nutritional approach that works for YOU and your goals in the context of the season of your life at this time.

For most people, I recommend some kind of digital food tracking (usually in an app) and some way to measure the quantity of food such as on a food scale or with measuring cups. 

This part of the process can be a PITA. Some of my data-loving clients get excited about it but most aren’t and feel annoyed after a few days of opening an app every time they eat. Tracking food isn’t right for everyone and it’s not meant to be a forever behavior; however, in the beginning, this is one of the fastest ways to learn about food and learn about your habits. 

This isn’t just helpful for me as a coach as it gives me a window into what’s going on, this is also incredibly helpful for you as a tool for self awareness. 

‘What gets measured, gets managed’ as they say. When you’re tracking what you eat you’re forced to notice all the little extra bites that creep in and forced to experience ‘proper’ portion sizes, which is often a depressing experience (especially when you see how little 2 tablespoons of peanut butter actually is).

Tracking foods doesn’t mean you have to get specific to the crumb level and it doesn’t mean you have to turns meals into a math problem; it does mean you get a more realistic view into your habits and this arms you with better information to decide how to make adjustments and become more MINDFUL of your food choices.

Though tracking foods and mindful eating can be opposite ends of the nutrition tools spectrum, they can and should be used together. 

I like to think of this as mindful measurement. 

With clients, I don’t usually recommend attempting mindful eating without tracking because for most of us it’s just too hard of a shift. Busy schedules, high stress lifestyles, lack of rest, packaged foods hijacking our brains, and general disconnection from sensations in our physical body make it hard to really know how we’re feeling and the impact food has on us. 

When we pair a tool like meal tracking with behaviors that build skills in mindful eating, then we’re really onto something powerful enough to get results in a sustainable way. 

At its core, mindful eating involves being fully present during meals, paying attention to the sensory experiences of eating, and responding to your body's internal cues of hunger and satisfaction. You can do all of this while measuring and tracking the foods you eat. 

As we learn more about food and the nutrient ratios that work best for us, we can eventually shift the focus from external tools to internal wisdom, empowering you to make conscious food choices that align with your body's needs.

Mindful Measurement: Here are a few practices you can try that will build your nutrition knowledge and your skill in mindful meals at the same time:

1. Collect Data. Begin measuring and tracking your foods (type of food and quantity) and aim to get 7-10 consecutive days. There are many free apps available for this. 
2. Review the Data. Notice your trends throughout the day and week. Does sugar creep in during afternoons and late at night? Are you hungry after a full dinner? Where is your protein coming from? Missing veggies from a typical day?
3. Pair Data with Felt Sensations. Pay attention to your body's signals of hunger and fullness and your mental and emotional status around mealtime. Before eating, assess your level of hunger, and stop when you start to feel satisfied and not yet full. Eating to 80% full is a good general gauge. 
4. Test a New Approach. Take what you’ve learned and try something different. Use your tracker to measure change and use your mind to measure how you’re feeling about it. 
5. Repeat 1-4. Keeping iterating, aiming to eat a little healthier, feel a little better each day and each week. Use your observations and internal insights to guide your food choices. 

Mindful measurement provides meaningful information and guidance, prevents overeating, reduces emotional eating, improves choices in food quality, and supports long term change which also means results that last. 

It will feel annoying in the beginning; you will forget or want to skip it. Try it anyway. Get a little uncomfortable in the name of getting a little healthier and feeling a lot better. 

I’m happy to provide feedback when you’ve got the data ready. :)