Mindful eating is the practice of giving your full attention to eating and drinking, noticing what happens to foods as you process them. It is derived from mindfulness, focused on being present and fully engaged with whatever we're doing. When you eat mindfully, you focus on the loof, feel, smell, and even the sound or your food. And you pay attention to your feelings of being hungry, sated, and full.
Do you eat while enagaging other activities? eat quickly? chew each bite 6 times, or 10, or 20? do you remember what you've eaten earlier in the day? do you feel sated, full, or overfull at the end of a meal? Do you wash down every mouthful of food, or wait until the end of a meal to drink? did that last meal give you indigestion? etc.
Are there Benefits to Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating offers several benefits (according to Harvard Health, Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, VeryWell Health and other sources):
Improved Digestion: Eating slowly and chewing thoroughly can aid digestion and reduce digestive issues.
Better Weight Management: By recognizing when you're full, you can avoid overeating, which helps with weight management.
Reduced Emotional Eating: Mindful eating helps distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger, reducing the tendency to eat in response to emotions.
Enhanced Enjoyment of Food: Paying attention to the eating experience can increase your appreciation and enjoyment of food.
Healthier Eating Habits: It encourages choosing more nutritious foods and eating in a balanced way.
Considerations
I have found several benefits to mindful eating, but there are a few things to consider when starting. Mindful eating may be:
Time-Consuming: mindful eating may stretch an activity which has taken 5 minutes, to 35 minutes (i.e., my eating a burger and fries)
Initially Difficult: It may be challenging to break old habits and consistently practice mindful eating. This is why I began with a finite amount of time a work week (just 5 days).
How do I eat Mindfully?
While there are no hard and fast rules to mindful eating, this is how I do it. In times of stress, I don't often recognize when I'm hungry, so I'll choose to eat on a schedule (breakfast at 5am, snack at 10am, lunch at 11:30, snack at 2pm, and dinner at 430pm).
First, I Eat Slowly, taking my time to chew and swallow each bite, before starting a new one. This allows me to notice the transition between solid and paste, and even to taste the differences in flavor as the saliva enzymes break down carbohydrates into sugars.
I Engage my Senses, by noticing the color of my food, the flavor and texture of it, the way it smells and sounds as I bite and chew. and again, how this may change as it's processed and swallowed.
I also Eliminate Distractions, by avoiding watching TV, working, or my phone when I eat. In the past, distractions have led to me completely forgetting entire meals (seriously), and over-eat on multiple occasions.
Here are a few more tips from around the web
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues. Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're satisfied
Reflect on Your Food: Think about where your food comes from and express gratitude for it.
Serve Modest Portions: This can help prevent overeating and reduce food waste.
References
[1] Mindful Eating 101 — A Beginner’s Guide - Healthline, [2] Mindful Eating - The Nutrition Source, [3] 8 steps to mindful eating - Harvard Health, [4] How to Practice Mindful Eating - Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. [5] Intuitive Eating: Benefits, Drawbacks, and More - Verywell Health, [6] Mindful Eating: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies | USU
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