Eating should be a pleasure and not something done absentmindedly. Try to be present when you’re eating and enjoy the food in front of you. Take your time.

TIPS FOR MINDFUL EATING

• Sit down at a table.

• Be conscious of your body; don’t allow yourself to be all crunched up – your food can’t move through your body easily otherwise.

• Don’t get distracted by phone calls – you should be enjoying the moment.

• Be conscious of the act of eating.

• Chew each morsel 40 times before swallowing. (I know it sounds a lot, but it does work; even chewing ten times, rather than a hasty couple of bites, makes a difference.) This is said to stimulate your digestive enzymes, which help to break down your food.

• Limit your portion sizes – no more than you can imagine holding in your two hands cupped together – and eat with a smaller fork or spoon to avoid eating too quickly.

• Eat slowly and pay attention to when you’re full. It takes at least 15 minutes of eating for the signal to reach your brain that you are full.

• Notice when your mouth feels sticky or you have a headache, you're probably dehydrated and need water first and foremost.