June Group Reboot – Day 5; Reflections

Congratulations June Rebooters – today is day 5! Great job to everyone and I sincerely hope you are feeling a sense of accomplishment, pride and experiencing fantastic physical and mental health.

Each time I Reboot I learn something new about my relationship with food and who I am as an eater. Being a nutritionist, I think, talk and write about food all the time. And still, I am always surprised at what I discover while on a Reboot. Reflecting on the Reboot experience is helpful to uncover lessons learned and consider how to apply this personal discovery to everyday life.

The Reboot is a time where we put ourselves into a more mindful eating space. Mindfulness is emerging as an important tool for stress reduction, immune support, healthy eating habits and a relationship with food as well as health and wellness promotion. Mindfulness can be defined as paying attention, noticing or being purposefully aware of what is going on without making judgment. This is not an easy feat in our modern culture, but with practice it can become the missing link between wanting to and being able to do healthy behaviors.

One thing I noticed while on this Reboot is how much I eat while cooking. I was surprised. Since I was the only one in my household Rebooting, it was a conscious process not to nibble on the food I was preparing for my family. It wasn’t that this was difficult or that it bothered me not to eat it, but it was interesting to notice that I had to intentionally not do it. It is important to consider “under the radar” eating habits because for example, extra eating while cooking can lead to unwanted weight gain. And eating while multi-tasking can reduce nutrient absorption by as much as 30-40%! Plus, I’m not exactly setting the best example for my kids if I’m chowing down while standing up and walking around the kitchen. Tasting what you are preparing is helpful in cooking (although as I learned during my Reboot not always necessary) but a small taste is different from a continuous stream of nibbles!

We’d love to hear what you learned about yourself while on this Reboot. Even if you plan to continue on past 5 days please share your personal discoveries so far!

Juice on!
Stacy