For hundreds of years, most people, especially women, have had a love/hate relationship with food because eating food that tastes good often means it is high in calories and that leads to weight gain. The traditional line of thinking was that if you change a behavior such as increasing exercise, then you will lose weight.

But this way of thinking is changing. Recent studies show that eating mindfully can help improve your relationship with food, thus helping to solidify long-term healthy changes in your overall lifestyle. Eating mindfully basically means paying attention to your food moment by moment, thus focusing on your sensual awareness of food and the actual experience of eating. Here are some pro tips:

Pre-Meditated Meal

Meditation and mindful eating seem to go hand and hand, and many people who practice mindful meditation, to include medical professionals, believe that savoring food and drink lessens cravings. Before you begin a meal, take about 10 minutes to do a brief meditation, breathing in and out and paying attention to each breath. Doing this will prepare your mind to willfully receive and engage with each bite.

Engage Your Senses

As you prepare your food, feel the experience. Breathe in the aroma of your seasonings, listen to the crisp vegetables as your knife slices through each piece. Steal a little bite to awaken your taste buds. Finally, when your meal is ready, carefully place it on your plate, taking notice of how the juices melt onto the dish, wiping any unsightly excess from the edge, leaving you with a beautifully plated visual presentation.

Savor the Flavor

When you take the first bite, pay attention to how it feels in your mouth, to each flavor and to where it hits your palate. If you are a wine drinker, this especially is important because just a few sips of wine can make the flavor pop on your palate.

Chances are you don’t think much about chewing, but chewing is a key part of eating mindfully and of the overall digestion process, so every bite of food counts. But most people chew with big bites, which is counterproductive to a healthy digestive process. Havasu Apple Cider Gummies taste great and can help aid in relieving digestion issues and eliminating unhealthy gut bacteria, lowering blood sugar and gently cleansing the intestines, thereby aiding in your overall practice of eating mindfully.

Along with adding a digestive supplement to your diet, try fully chewing your food, noticing the bursts of different flavors with each bite. If you swallow your food in larger pieces, it may cause indigestion or other GI problems, so take your time and give each bite about 20 chews. Another tip you might want to consider is to avoid drinking anything while there is still food in your mouth. Wait until you have completely chewed and swallowed your food until you take a drink or put more food in your mouth.

Gratitude and Grace

As you enjoy your meal, it’s important to not take your meal for granted. Regardless of who did the cooking, it took time and effort to prepare your meal. If you’re at a restaurant, consider thanking the chef, or anyone who played a role in making your meal. If you’re home, show gratitude to the person who made your meal, even if you made it yourself. Acknowledge the abundance in your life that has allowed you to enjoy this meal and honor yourself by taking your time to enjoy this meal in this moment.

Diets tend to focus on behavior as it relates to your relationship with food, while eating mindfully focuses on the experience of eating your meal from start to finish. Consider how you might savor a decadent dessert or favorite meal you don’t often get to enjoy. You want to relish every bite, letting the flavor linger on your tongue, allowing each taste bud to be tickled by the flavors.

Though the benefits of mindful eating can include losing weight and reducing digestive issues, the purpose of mindful eating is to help you develop a relationship with food where you savor every bite, thereby helping your mind and body experience life more fully.