Every March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors a national campaign inviting Americans across the U.S. to learn more about nutrition. This year’s theme for National Nutrition Month is Food Connects Us, underscoring the idea that food is a grounding factor connecting us to our cultures, our families, our friends … and ourselves.

While sharing a meal is an excellent time to connect with others, don’t miss the opportunity to slow down and connect with your own plate this month. Mindful eating allows you to focus on the eating experience with an awareness of how your body feels before, during and after eating. Here are my top three tips for a more mindful March:

1. Listen to your body.

What time and how much you eat should be dictated by your body’s signals to your brain. Our bodies are good at communicating, but we must take the time to listen!

• Pay attention to physical hunger cues. Is your stomach growling, your energy level low, your head aching or your mood cranky? Hangry is a real thing! What time you eat shouldn’t be dictated by a clock. This one can be hard (raise your hand if you love schedules), but it is an important place to start as you tune in to your own mind-body connection.
• If you need permission, you don’t have to clean your plate. Gone are the clean plate club days, especially at restaurants or places where you’re not in charge of the portion size. Train your body to tune in to fullness cues — a sense of satisfaction or fullness in your stomach. Your body’s cues should determine how much you eat, not the amount of food on your plate.

2. Connect with your senses.

Do you remember learning about the five senses in school? The next time you sit down to a meal, treat it like a first-grade experiment. Use every one of your senses to make the most of your eating experience. What would happen if you did this at every meal? Or tried it with your kids?

• Seeing – Take a moment to look at your plate. What colors are there? What shapes do you see? How does the portion size look?
• Smelling – Before you take a bite, notice the aroma of the foods on your plate. Does your mouth begin to water?
• Hearing – Is your food or food packaging making any sounds before you start eating? Are your hot foods sizzling? Is your drink fizzing? What other sounds may be contributing to your eating experience: music, television, background noise?
• Touching – Is your plate hot or cold? How do the foods feel in your mouth or with your hands? Yes, it’s okay to play with your food! It’s a first-grade science experiment, remember?
• Tasting – Finally! Take a bite. Pay attention to each flavor—sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami. Does the taste change as you bite, chew or swallow? How do the flavors interact or balance each other out?

3. Slow down.

From eliminating distractions to eating more slowly, slowing down can make your mindful March experiment more meaningful.

• Put away the distractions—phone, work emails and television. I know this is a hard one, especially if you’re eating alone or at your desk at work. But give it a try! It’s almost impossible to listen to your body and connect with your senses without doing this.
• Put your utensils down between bites. This may help you slow down and be a physical reminder to stay tuned into your plate.

It’s not too late to start. As you practice mindful March, take the time to experiment with some of these tips yourself and share them with your family. It could be a fun family experiment over dinner that leads to many good conversations on healthy habits! Combining these tips with your commitment to be more mindful today may help you create a healthy habit of being more mindful in the future.