May 15, 2019
My guest this week is Dr. Susan Albers, a New York Times best-selling author and clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic who specializes in eating issues, weight loss, body image concerns, and mindfulness. Dr. Albers conducts mindful eating workshops across the country and internationally. She is the author of seven mindful eating books and has been a guest on the Dr. Oz TV Show, TODAY show and NPR. Her tips, books, and programs have been featured in numerous national publications such as O, the Oprah Magazine, Woman’s Day Magazine, Health Magazine, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Albers is also a contributor to the Huffington Post and Psychology Today.
In this episode, Dr. Albers and I discuss the positive ways mindful eating can impact your child's health and wellbeing. Making small changes to everyday eating habits, creating access to the right foods and changing the way you speak about food in front of your children can have a positive impact. Learn more about mindful eating and Dr. Susan Albers here.
What is Mindful Eating?
- Mindful eating is not a diet, it is centered around the behavior of eating and how you eat versus what you eat
- It helps you create better eating behaviors and habits which naturally lead to a healthier lifestyle
Mindlessly Eating
- It is easy to use food not for hunger but to manage other feelings
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- For children: boredom tends to lead them to wander to the kitchen and mindlessly eating or using food to unwind from stress
A Few Tips To Implement Mindful Eating
- Make the right foods convenient
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- Place the foods that you want your children to be eating at their eye-level and easy to reach within the refrigerator or pantry
- Keep a bowl of healthy snacks and fruits by the door for quick on-the-go access
- Language, get rid of the word “diet” and start using the word “mindful” around eating
- Slow down your mealtimes by eating slowly and consciously
Where To Start With Your Family
- To avoid overwhelm, tackle one thing at a time
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- Ex: If your goal is to have your family sit together at mealtime or cut back on eating in the car, focus on that first
- Once that is accomplished, naturally, better habits will start to take place
- Work on reducing the stress level as an overall family
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- Finding ways to lower stress in your family will aid in eliminating excess mindless eating habits in the family
- End of day rituals like walks or bike rides together as a family can help create a stress outlet
Where to learn more about Dr. Susan Albers...
- Eating Mindfully
- Twitter: @DrSusanAlbers
- Instagram: @mindfuleating101
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