Mindful eating can make a big impact in clients lives — in grounding the body to the present moment and putting a focus on fuelling the body with the right foods. The goal is to savour the full experience of momentary presence while enjoying a meal or snack. Research has found that healthy eating can impact the mind as 95% of serotonin production happens in the gastrointestinal tract. The pairing of good nutrition with mindful eating can have a big impact on client sleep, mood, appetite, and pain. While we know there are benefits to mindful eating, it can sometimes be difficult to keep clients on track. Here’s how to pair nutrition with client consistency.
Putting a focus on nutrition
There are certain foods that may be beneficial for clients to limit or avoid during this time of mindful eating. We always recommend consulting with a nutritionist before making dietary changes
- Alcohol: While alcohol isn’t inherently bad, it can be a difficult habit for some clients to manage or enjoy responsibly. It can also put a veil on mindfulness, taking some clients out of their body.
- Caffeine: Balance is key with caffeine! While it can be a tool for getting through the day, too much can lead to increased anxiety. This adds another challenge to the mindfulness process.
- High-sugar or processed foods: It’s okay to give into cravings every now and then! But practicing mindful eating with high sugar foods or processed foods can set the wrong tone for their mental health journey.
Keep clients on track with mindful eating
Like anything, mindfulness is a habit. It’ll take time to incorporate into a client’s daily life — but there are easy ways to support clients along their journey.
Encourage journaling
Writing down thoughts and feelings can help clients solidify their new habit. By reflecting on their experience after mindful eating, clients are more likely to recall their feelings about the event. The habit will seem more tangible and accessible, making clients more likely to engage with mindful eating in the future.
Getting into journaling can be tricky, but many clients report journaling to be one of the best ways to progress in their mental health journey. Starting with something as small as journaling about mindful eating can open a door to consistent journaling — leading to better client outcomes in the future. Clients who enjoy journaling about this process can try advanced journaling, or turn to prompts to spark inspiration for journal entries.
Utilize technology
Following up with clients between sessions is one of the best ways to keep a client on-track with mindful eating. Research has shown that counsellors who don’t consistently follow-up on homework are less likely to generate client regard for the activity. It can be tough to reach out to clients during sessions in a professional way. That’s why digital homework apps are becoming a key tool for counsellors and their clients.
A digital homework app like Therachat offers innovative features to keep clients on-track with their goals, like daily homework reminders, mindfulness exercises, emotion tracking and skill-building exercises. Keeping mindful eating and journaling top of mind will help clients strengthen their mindfulness skills. Consistency is key.
Level-up your counselling practice
Are you looking to level-up your counselling practice with digital tools? Therachat can help. Clinicians can take advantage of:
- Creating and customize homework
- Choose from a library of pre-made, engaging activities
- Get realtime results & compliancy
- Unlimited, secure messaging
