People can understand Five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. The latter is the least known, and that is why many people do not realize that they experience it in certain foods such as tomatoes, cheese or ham. But outside of gastronomy, the concept can serve as a metaphor for understanding “umami.” Resilient and balanced mindset. This is how the concept of “Umami Mind” was born, a way of looking at the world that helps us improve our relationship with food and at the same time take care of our emotional well-being. What led to this? Teresa Terroll (terol_psicologa) to write books umami mind Promotes a healthy relationship with food(Encourages the editorial). We spoke with her to explain how she believes we can improve our relationship with food and end anxiety about eating and emotional hunger.
© @bellenhostaletWhy is an umami mind?
To understand why an umami mind is so powerful, it is helpful to review some characteristics of umami flavors:
- Amplitude: the Umami is felt across the tongueCertain areas have different tastes from others. Similarly, an umami mind is a complete and expansive mindset, which gives us the resources to deal with a variety of situations. It does not focus on a single skill, but on a series of skills that help us for any purpose.
- Tanginess: Umami Lasts longer in mouth than sweet or sour taste. Thus, an umami mind creates lasting and resilient change. It helps us transform problems into opportunities, sustain change, and ensure our decisions are consistent over time.
- Enhancer: Umami Stimulates salivation, Enhances the taste of other foods. Likewise, an umami mind drives us to find solutions to life’s challenges, leaving us with a sense of peace, well-being, and contentment.
The central concept of the Umami Mind is simple: to significantly and lastingly change our relationship with food, we need a strong and flexible mindset. The umami mind gives us that tenacity to maintain a healthy and happy relationship with food over time.
Three enemies that keep us from a healthy relationship with food
To improve our relationship with food, we need to first Identify the factors that complicate it. Surprisingly, these enemies are usually not in food, but in our mind and environment.
1. Brain reward system
Eating is a necessity for survival, and to make sure we do, the brain has evolved Reward system. Eating certain foods releases dopamine, a pleasure hormone. The bad news is that foods high in calories, sugar and fat – the ones we usually think of as “tasty” – are the ones that stimulate this system the most.
Therefore, when we think about those foods, The brain makes us salivate and we crave themEven if we are not really hungry. It is an emotion that our biology evolved, but in the current context where high-calorie foods are available everywhere, it can lead us to unhealthy habits.
2. Learning systems
Our relationship with food is influenced by our environment and our experiences. Often, we learn from childhood The relationship between food and emotions: A cookie as a reward, or a sweet to calm the crying. This type of learning is called “emotional hunger” and occurs when we eat to manage our emotions, not for nourishment.
Throughout life, we acquire limiting beliefs that make a healthy relationship with food difficult. Thoughts like “I’m not capable” or “Nothing happens for a day” can fall into our patterns Impulsive or poorly conscious eating.
3. Obesogenic environment
We are surrounded Advertisements for ultra-processed foodsAvailable anytime and anywhere. These products are designed to be overwhelming and activate our reward system. This constant exposure to unhealthy foods is what we know as an obesogenic environment.
In addition to marketing, our social environment also influences us. If our Social activities revolve around food or alcohol, Maintaining a healthy diet is much more difficult.
© Getty ImagesHow to develop an umami mind to overcome these obstacles?
The umami mind concept is based on three fundamental pillars that will help us overcome these obstacles and improve our relationship with food.
1. Self-esteem: You are your habits
Strong self-esteem is key to building a healthy relationship with food. And it is essential to develop good habits to strengthen it. Healthy habits not only improve our well-being, they also transform our perception of ourselves, helping us to be kinder and less critical of our food choices.
To build strong self-esteem, it’s important to work on the following habits:
- conscious eating
- Adequate rest
- Movement and physical activity
- Media Faster: Disconnect from technology to connect with yourself.
- Connection with Nature: Reconnect with the natural environment.
- Minimalism: Reduce excessive spending and focus on essentials.
Dietary changes should be the result of self-love, not imposition.
2. Discipline: A Stoic philosophy of life
D Discipline is essential The second enemy to defeat: the education system. Many times, we fail ourselves and abandon our goals. This is where discipline comes in. Cultivating discipline is an act of self-love That allows us to resist temptation and stay the course, making decisions that benefit our physical and mental well-being.
Discipline is not a punishment, but a companion that empowers us to move on the path of self-care.
3. Environmental Management: Social Competence and Resilience
Strengthen assertiveness and social skills It helps us cope with the obesogenic environment. Being assertive means protecting ourselves from the negative influences of our environment, setting clear boundaries, and surrounding ourselves with people who share similar values and wellness goals.
Building a support network is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. By connecting with others who have similar goals, we strengthen our commitment and can more easily resist temptation.
© Adobe StockCan you go from a bad relationship to a good relationship with food?
I don’t believe it, I know it. I’m not a theorist, I work by consulting courageous people who want to change their relationship with food. In reality, nothing can be changed if you try to change. Therapy is not magic, it takes time and effort, they are not patient, they are brave, because it takes courage to dare to change what scares us, but it is worth it.
In counseling I constantly meet courageous people whose main food-related problem is not their relationship with food, but Lack of umami: If eggs are not fresh (if your habits are toxic, your self-esteem is at rock bottom, your discipline leads you to failure, your environment is a burden and you are unable to set boundaries or create healthy relationships), mayonnaise (your relationship with food) will pass
What if training an umami mind hasn’t solved your bad relationship with food? You may lack the specific knowledge and tools to manage this relationship, and that’s good news: you need to dig deeper to solve the problem. In this case, my book umami mind You will have a whole section in which Learn specific knowledge and techniques to achieve this goal Through psychonutrition. We’ll break down the main myths that lead us to have a bad relationship with food and you’ll gain special tools, something like a ‘kitchen pot’ for the umami mind, to help us control our emotional hunger and regain control.
How to avoid relapses?
As Nelson Mandela said, “The greatest glory is never to fall, but always to rise.” Relapse is a learning opportunity. Analyze what happened, what you could have done differently, and what you need to learn from each situation to get up and move on. Each experience brings you closer to true mental and physical freedom.
In short, the umami mind is a very useful tool that we can all cultivate. It helps us develop a balanced relationship with food, Overcome obstacles and live with greater emotional well-being. You deserve to be truly happy with happiness as deep and lasting as the taste of umami. With umami in mind, nothing can stop you; Not even myself
