At Ibiza Retreats, the abundance of colourful, locally produced, organic and seasonally available food we offer is an integral (and greatly enjoyed!) part of the retreat experience. We work with some of the best chefs and nutritionists on the island, who work together to bring the key elements of eating mindfully to our retreats.

Here are our top 12 tips for mindful eating in day-to-day life, as prescribed by the lovely Anna King of Avocado Nutrition, who joins us for a nutritional talk on all of our Harmonise retreats.

1. Always eat in a relaxed manner. Before you eat, pause and bring your attention to your plate and just breathe. Be mindful of the fact you are about to eat your food. Too many of us eat in a rush and when stressed. Bringing calmness into your body in this way, brings energy into your digestion so it can work more effectively.
2. Try to choose an appropriate environment to eat in. Rather than eating at your desk or in front of the TV, honour your meal times by eating at the table with friends or family or go to a park or green space to be more present.
3. Food is information for your body. If we give it good information it works well, if we give it poor information things can go wrong. Eat as nature intended and the information will always be better than man-made processed ‘food’ and chemicals.
4. Look at your plate – do you see colour? The different colours in fruit and vegetables provide different phytonutrients. Aim to ‘eat a rainbow’ every day. You will notice that when your plate is regularly filled with fresh vibrant colours that it is more pleasurable for the eye and mind than brown and white food that so often dominates our diets now.
5. Digestion begins in the mouth. Savour every mouthful. Chew, chew, chew. This way you are being kinder on your digestive system but you will also start to appreciate flavours and textures more.
6. There are so many different types of diets out there. We are all different. There is no one size fits all. One person’s food is another person’s poison. Don’t ignore the signs and symptoms of things not being quite right. Listen to your body and the messages it is trying to send you.
7. Invest time in nourishing yourself. Build a healthy relationship with food. We only have one body and good health is the richest form of wealth.
8. Don’t shop whilst hungry – or ‘hangry’ as I say. Plan and prepare, wherever possible, to stay ahead of your hunger and make more healthful decisions.
9. Small habits lead to big changes. We can tend to have this all or nothing mentality. Start slowly and build up gradually adding a new habit only once another is in place. Consistency is what matters.  Fluctuating between extreme diets to eating junk is not healthy. Move away from the idea of a ‘diet’ and instead work towards a long-term, sustainable and healthy way of eating.
10. Be a conscious consumer where you can – avoid unnecessary packaging and plastic, choose seasonally available produce & support local organic farmers wherever possible. The quality and freshness of the food impacts on our body & the environment – both of which we need to look after.
11. Don’t forget to feed your gut bacteria. They are called friendly bacteria for a reason! Those guys are there to support our health. Eat fermented foods regularly and prebiotic foods such as onions, garlic and leeks. If you take care of the little guys they will take care of you.
12. Food joy is important. Don’t deprive yourself, ban foods or attach guilt to eating ‘naughty’ foods. If you like a little treat experiment with making more nutritious versions of it – get creative and fun in the kitchen.