Using Mindful Consumption as a Tool for Mindfulness
Mindful consumption is an easy way that we can begin to cultivate mindfulness in our life, bringing a wide number of benefits for our body, mind and for the environment around us.
Mindful consumption is the act of being mindful when making choices around the way you use, buy or eat. Mindful consumption includes the concept of Mindful eating, but it also extends further than this, to encompass being mindful about the way we source, choose, cook and source the food that we eat.
Mindful consumption offers many benefits, including improving our relationship with food and with our bodies, and increasing our connection to where our food comes from, how it is produced, and how it affects us.
We can start by paying attention to some routine activities that we do on a daily basis, i.e. purchasing our food with more attention and observation.
Here are some tips for consuming mindfully.
Tip 1. Ask yourself what does my body need to maintain a healthy immune system?
With some self-inquiry and observation around what our body reacts to positively, we will usually come up with a list of food items that we require. It may be that we need more seasonal fruit and veg, it may be that we need to increase the intake of root vegetables or nuts. Alternatively, it may be that we need to cut down on fatty and high cholesterol food. Whatever the answer is, check-in with your body regularly and observe when you feel the most energised, and when you feel depleted. Do some foods make you tired and sleepy, whilst others bring grounding and support?
Doing your research, you may also come across the importance of buying organic. Some of the fertilisers or genetically modified produce may not only harm us individually in the long-term, but bring harm to the earth, and communities living around those areas where non-organic food is grown. So when you shop organic you are consciously supporting the health and prosperity, and not just for yourself but for the wider community.
Once you incorporate attention, observation and research your meal times will be part of your investment into your immune system.
Tip 2. How much food do I really need?
When you start observing your consumption habits, notice how much waste you or your household produce. Do you really eat what you buy? How many items a month do you throw away as they have passed their sell by dates? Food waste contributes to environmental challenges, overproduction, and overspend.
We can also start to learn how much food our bodies need by practicing Mindful eating, By taking the time to observe the sensations we experience from our food — the taste, the texture, how it smells, the way it looks, sounds, and most importantly, the sensations we feel in our body as we eat — we begin to slow down our eating and start to become more aware of how full we are feeling, and how much food we actually need to consume to sustain and nourish us. It’s probably less than you think!
Tip 3. How can I bring value to myself as well as to my ‘ecosystem’?
By buying local and seasonal produce, you will not only nourish yourself with a range of vegetables, but you will also contribute to a reduced carbon footprint, support organic farmers, and empower the local community. Individually, we are part of a wider eco-system and each action and choice that we make leaves its footprint either on an individual, or the whole planet.
When doing your weekly shop, pay attention to the use of plastic, especially non-recyclable, and choose alternatives using recyclable packaging. Pay attention to the country of the produce, and whether the food is sustainably grown and organic. Using mindfulness may positively contribute to our shopping habits and the world overall.
The above tips are not exhaustive list of things we can do to cultivate mindfulness in our consumption habits, so we encourage you to do some research and find some ways to incorporate mindful consumption that work for you! We also encourage to share your ideas with us — we will showcase them as a separate post to help make even a bigger impact in our communities.
Follow this account for more stories on mindfulness, wellbeing, and finding your purpose in life.
Any Questions? We are here to help → hello@mindfulglobe.org
