Mindfulness and Consumption

Living in the present contributes to a holistic approach to wellness, sustainability and consumption. The concept of mindfulness arises from ancient Hindu and Buddhist traditions. At the most basic level, being mindful means that you maintain awareness of the present moment. As you check in with yourself, you strive to observe your emotions and situation calmly.

To practice mindfulness, you push back against the external and internal forces continually distracting you from noticing your feelings and behaviours. You accomplish this in a number of ways, such as meditation, breathing, or just observing the moment.

As you consider what’s happening to you in the here and now, you might discover that you’re making choices that reduce your happiness or health. That decision to skip lunch because you’re too busy robs you of fuel to nourish your body. As a result, you’re more vulnerable to feeling overwhelmed. 

Mindful Eating

Being mindful of what you eat helps you overcome cravings and gain insights about your relationship with food. With mindful eating, you pay attention to the experience and ask yourself questions like:

  • Am I eating because of hunger, boredom, or stress?
  • What did my body feel like as I ate?
  • Why am I choosing this food?

You probably can’t manage this analysis if you’re munching on a sandwich while driving in heavy traffic. This is why healthy eating requires that you set aside time specifically for eating and consume food without distraction.

The practice of mindful eating can feel like a tall order amid your many responsibilities at home and work. 
With so much on your plate, so to speak, you feel like you can’t give attention to what you’re literally putting on your own plate.

You can improve the situation by preplanning your food choices and stocking up on healthful foods. You essentially put the thought into it ahead of time so that you can enjoy the convenience of healthy snacking.

People who eat junk food snacks experience losses in productivity 66% more often than healthy snack consumers. This occurs because snacking on healthy foods can prevent spikes and dips in your blood glucose level.

When you select your snack foods ahead of time, you won’t be left to the whims of your impulses when hunger hits. ​​According to this research, impulse control drops when you’re hungry due to the hormone ghrelin, which is produced in the stomach and increases your appetite.    

Mindful Consumers

The environmental consequences of climate change have prompted more and more people to embrace sustainable shopping. Mindful consumers evaluate companies on the basis of inclusivity, authenticity, transparency and sustainability.

To improve your sense of balance with the world, you must question how you use and reuse things.

Actionable questions we can ask ourselves:

  • Can I repair or reuse something instead of relying on recycling to control waste? 
  • Are the brands I support giving back by supporting environmental restoration or other sustainable causes?
  • How many single-use plastic products can I eliminate from my life?

Tools to Help Practice Mindfulness

1. Apps for the mind and body

Meditation & Sleep:

  • Sleep Cycle – Use this app to collect data about your sleep pattern and identify where you can improve.
  • Calm – With over 100 million downloads, Calm teaches users how to meditate, improve sleep and manage stress.
  • Headspace – The developers of this guided meditation and sleep app claim that users reduce their stress by 14% in 10 days.

Therapy

  • BetterHelp – Start an account here to get matched with a therapist experienced with treating your challenges.
  • TalkSpace – This service makes it easy to get the help to improve your mental health.

Want more wellness app recommendations? Read more here.

2. Services for eating well

Healthy food subscriptions

Food subscription companies, like Laid Back Snacks, focus your food shopping on healthy choices and keep you stocked up. You skip the temptations of the grocery store and order delicious and wholesome foods from your couch. We whip up inclusive treats that give everybody tasty options. Vegan, no nuts, no gluten, no problem. Build your healthy food stash with the creative crunch of Sriracha Cashews, Hearty Tamari and Wholesome Yogi. To eat mindfully every day, check out our snacks.

Also, many food subscription services deliver straight to your door! Your healthy snack stash will automatically restock and you can focus on confidently snacking in-between meal times or on-the-go.

Now, let’s talk about your three core meals. You probably know that selecting what ingredients to buy can be a time-consuming task. We recommend planning ahead by writing down a shopping list on a full stomach at the beginning of each week and making sure that your food selections are mindful. As a bonus, skip the stressful chore of visiting a supermarket but using a grocery delivery service!

Grocery delivery services

If you’re just not that into buying ingredients or figuring out what to eat, try using a meal kit subscription service.

Meal kits

An analysis of 50 meal kit services concluded that they cut down on food waste by 27%. When choosing a meal kit, also consider packaging waste. Some providers perform better in this regard than others.

3. For sustainable spending

  • Be vigilant for companies that try to look sustainable with greenwashing marketing techniques.
  • Look for companies with authentic sustainability programs like carbon reduction initiatives or tree planting.
  • Choose clothing and accessories from stores that have repair programs, like Arc’teryx.
  • Avoid bracket shopping, which is ordering a bunch of stuff to find the right fit.
  • Buy second-hand items like furniture when possible.

Build a Mindful Economy of Producers and Shoppers

Researchers have identified a big paradigm shift in how consumers make decisions. An international study of 5,700 adults showed that 72% had started shopping mindfully.

At Laid Back Snacks, we’re Climate Neutral Certified and committed to sustainable practices. Helping you eat mindfully inspires everything we do. We can work together to bring more peace and mental focus to the world.