Mindful Eating How to Build a Better Relationship With Food

What Mindful Eating Means

To visualize mindful eating; imagine sitting down for dinner, actually paying attention to what you are eating; the taste of food; the physical feelings; when you become satisfied.

 

• It is simply about being aware of what is happening within yourself.
• It is about using all of your senses to experience food, without any judgments regarding what you eat and how much of it.
• It is very different from dieting, as dieting tends to feel restrictive and punitive; whereas, mindful eating promotes a positive relationship with your body, which, through research, has been shown to help improve diet quality, reduce emotional eating, and promote long-term weight management.

 

Mindful eating can be particularly beneficial for people who have experienced Binge Eating or Yo-Yo Dieting; it helps individuals create a healthy relationship with food and reconnect to their bodies' natural hunger cues instead of solely relying on "shoulds.”

 

Reasons that make this "Why it works… the benefits":

Let's be honest – our lives are crazy and busy; therefore, our food decisions derive from this same place of stress. Hence, Mindful Eating is a way for you to reduce that stress!

 

Reducing Emotional Eating:

When you experience stress, it typically leads to emotional eating. Studies show Mindful Eaters tend to experience cravings and binge episodes less frequently than other eaters because they pause before they eat and make an intention to determine if they are truly hungry or if they are just overwhelmed.

Improved Digestion/Satisfaction:

The slower we eat (at least chewing 20-30 times per bite), the better our body allows our brain to recognize when our stomach is full; therefore, we can reduce how much we overeat by 20% or more. We also enjoy our meals more (by getting more nourishment from the food) while wasting less and having a less heavy body after eating.

Increased Overall Well-Being:

Mindful Eating does not have a physical dimension; instead, it directly correlated with lower anxiety surrounding food, positive body image, and better compliance with nutrient-dense dietary practices (such as the Mediterranean Diet).

 

A large study showed higher mindfulness scores corresponded with high levels of organic food consumption and lower levels of ultra-processed food consumption.

 

Practical Steps You Can Start Doing Today

If you want to give this a shot, start off simply; there's no need to "do it perfectly".

Setting Up Your Environment

Remove any cell phones and laptops from the table. Designate an official dining location for your meals, at least somewhere to eat (like your kitchen counter). You may want to dim the lights and play soothing music if it helps you to relax. The purpose is to create a peaceful atmosphere that will allow you and your food to connect.

Listening to Your Hunger

Before eating meals, rate how hungry you are on a scale of 1-10. Only eat when you are at a 3 or 4 (truly hungry). Check back halfway through your meal and stop eating once you reach a 6 or 7 (satisfied but not overstuffed). This process helps to restore your body's innate awareness of hunger that has been lost through years of casual eating.

Using All Your Senses

• Prior to consuming your food, take time to smell it; what is the most noticeable scent?
• After chewing your food, be mindful of what you feel in your mouth as you chew: crunchy? Creamy? Hot?
• Taste your food in stages; put the fork down between bites.
• Start with one meal during the day (maybe your afternoon meal). As time passes, this will become second nature.

Dealing with Cravings

When you feel a craving coming on, stop and consider the feeling without taking any action to satisfy it. How long does it last? If you give in to the craving, please do so mindfully without any guilt. This practice breaks the cycle of shame and creates a better and more harmonious relationship with food.

How to Overcome the Roadblocks You Will Encounter

Life has a lot of distractions, from work calls to kids to notifications coming from your phone. You will learn to be kind to yourself - you are only human, and everyone experiences slip-ups. The best way to begin eating mindfully is to track one mindful meal a week, and you can use apps to remind you (as opposed to nagging) periodically. If you are someone who engages in emotional eating, you should seek professional assistance through therapy and/or a dietitian who specializes in intuitive eating.

Mindful eating fosters long-term change and helps to create habits that will last. By the end of the first month, at least some people notice that they have engaged in less mindless snacking, are more satisfied with smaller portion sizes, and have achieved a sense of freedom from their guilt concerning food habits. While it's not magic, consistent practice has the ability to develop habits.

 

Study results have shown that groups practicing mindful eating are more successful in maintaining their weight loss and better eating habits one year after either method of weight loss of previous diets. The concept of mindful eating gives you the power to treat food like a friend, rather than an enemy. In a society that is built on extreme views, returning to an approach that will allow you to be kind to yourself feels like a return to who you are. Begin small tomorrow and see if your body thank's you with fewer signals and more restful evenings.