Mindful eating is a state of being fully present and aware of the present moment. It is
about paying full attention to what you are eating without having any other thoughts.
It is also about slowing down, noticing how the food smells, taste, texture, visual appeal
and being conscious about the nutrients in the item and focusing on the act of chewing.
By engaging all the senses, individuals can savour their meals, develop a deeper connection with their bodies and makes conscious food choices.
It can also help reduce stress, as being mindful tricks your brain into thinking that ‘all is
well in your world’, and that you are no longer in ‘flight or fight’ mode, which a lot of us
operate in on a day-to-day basis.
How can you eat mindfully?
- Focus on your food-by putting your phone away or eating at a table, not infront of
the screen/TV (Minimize distractions). - Using a variety of your senses (sight, smell, touch, and taste) to notice details
about the eating experience. - Choosing foods that will both satisfy and nourish your body.
- Chew food slowly
- Notice when you are full and stop eating, even if there is more on your plate.
- Eating on a regular schedule helps prevent getting overly hungry, which often
makes you much more likely to eat quickly and select foods based on
convenience rather than desire or nutritional quality. - Eat while sitting, using hands will help prevent mindless grazing and also
promotes more enjoyment of the food. - Take a couple of deep breaths. This helps your body to be present, and to
promote a temporary distraction from whatever else may be on your mind.
Benefits of Mindful Eating
- Better digestion. Eating slower and chewing food thoroughly means more time
for the body to process and absorb nutrients, and more time to recognize natural
hunger and fullness cues. Alternatively, eating quickly brings more air into the
digestive tract, which can lead to more gas and bloating. It also doesn’t allow
enough time to produce adequate digestive secretions to optimally break down food.
This can result in symptoms like bloating and indigestion — just from how you eat. - Promotes better food choices. Mindful eaters tend to have an increase in fruit
and vegetable consumption, and a decrease in energy-dense and less healthy
food choices. - May help with eating disorder recovery, due to the emphasis it places on
acknowledging and responding to beliefs about food without judgment, which
promotes more acceptance associated with the eating process. - Helps prevent overeating. This is because a mindful eater eats with attention and
focus, and pays attention to how the food makes them feel. In addition, mindful
eating promotes eating more slowly, which allows more time for the body to
recognize fullness cues. - Supports your body’s desired weight. While the purpose of mindful eating is not
weight loss, it may lead to weight changes (either higher or lower) that are more
in line with where your body naturally wants to be at. For those at a higher
weight, mindful eating may promote gradual weight loss while it may promote
slight weight gain for those who may be underweight. - More satisfaction and enjoyment of food. When we pay more attention to our
food and eat based on what we really want, we are almost guaranteed to enjoy it
more.