To eat consciously means to make active choices in favor of your health and wellbeing. It’s different from eating mindfully, which means to be present, set the right context, and use your intuition to meet your body’s needs.
Examples of eating consciously include choosing to:
- Prepare healthy meals
- Eat home more frequently
- Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
- Eat fewer animal products
- Eat whole grain breads and flours rather than refined ones
- Eat legumes
- Eat healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats (olive oil, canola, safflower) over saturated fats (coconut oil, butter, lard)
- Eat half a sandwich with vegetables, tofu, tempeh, smoked salmon, eggs, and other plant-based ingredients instead of cold cuts on white bread
- Eat a side salad or sauteed veggies with a main instead of potato chips or french fries
- Eat 2-3 meals a day instead of 6
- Not eat within 2-3 hours of going to bed
- Find ways to work around cravings
- Eat organic
- Shop at farmer’s market and local farms
The list could go on and on. You don’t have to everything. CHOOSE a few. And of course, don’t forget other related choices:
- Getting outside consistently throughout each day
- Exercising regularly
- Meditating
- Spending time with friends