Mindful eating

A new mindful eating app hopes to get people thinking more about what they are consuming. The Feast — Mindful Eating app was built in response to a problem with traditional food tracking apps which are focused on calorie counting and weight loss via deprivation. “People should stop obsessing over calories and pay more attention to the actual foods they’re eating,” said Jackie Kim, Feast’s co-founder. Instead of numbers and data, Feast asks users to simply take a picture of what’s on their plate — something many already do for fun on social media. Pausing for a moment to take a photo of your meal may give you an extra boost of willpower to say no to choices you might regret. You can also share your photos with other social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The app also presents your eating history in a visual way that your mind can easily process. As you look back, you’ll see patterns that you

might not have been aware of, like mindless snacking (hey, we’ve all been there!). This growing mindfulness will naturally nudge you to improve your eating habits, without any external pressure, according to Kim. Despite its simplicity, research from health institutions like Harvard, Mayo Clinic and Duke University support the idea that mindful eating and consistency in keeping a food journal work well for weight loss. And mindfulness is a great tool generally for making better, healthier choices, from what you eat to how you navigate life. “When I was trying to lose weight for my wedding, I hated how food trackers reduced foods to numbers where the goal is to eat as little as possible to come under an artificial calorie limit,” said Kim. “I also realised how calorie counting can worsen symptoms of eating disorders.”

The Feast — Mindful Easting app is available via the App store with the Android version coming soon