Mindful Eating

Recently I posted on Facebook about Mindful Eating.  Mindfulness is an important part of eating that I hadn’t thought about until recently.  Mindfulness is the capacity to bring full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment. Mindful Eating is bringing this attention to our food choices and the experience of eating.

Mindful eating helps us become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations related to eating.  It reconnects us with inner inborn wisdom about hunger and satiety.  There have been studies to show that weight loss is possible with mindful eating without ever “dieting” in addition to reducing binge eating and helping people feel better.  When we are focused and aware of the “why, when and what” we are eating, we tend to eat less in volume and choose healthier foods.

Mindful Eating includes:

·       Eating slowly and without distraction

   In 2021, Americans are very busy and it is common to eat with distractions, such as TV, iPhone, work from home and eating on the run, with very little attention placed on what is being eaten.  When we are distracted and not focused on the food, it is really easy to eat more than you need and eat foods that are not satisfying.  Being mindful when eating will promote better digestion, keep you full with less food and influence better food choices.  How to achieve this?  Unplug from electronics and pull up a seat.  It is ok to eat in silence and focus on the food and how you feel and try to avoid eating standing up or driving.

·       Listening to physical hunger cues and stopping when full

   The cues from your brain that you are full can take up to 20 minutes for you to recognize.  In that 20 minutes of mindless eating, many unneeded calories can be ingested.  It is important to slow down, focus on what you are eating, how you are feeling. 

·       Determining between true hunger and non-hunger eating triggers

  Oftentimes we eat for reasons other than hunger and I am very guilty of this!  Sometimes we treat ourselves with food – on bad days, good days, to celebrate, to make ourselves feel better, when stressed, tired etc.  Sometimes food coping techniques have been modeled to us by our parents/family.  It is important to make sure that we are eating for the right reasons.  If we aren’t truly hungry but are turning to food for another reason, then it is important to take time to recognize this.  Once we recognize this then we can determine if there is a better way to cope with how we are feeling/doing instead of eating. 

·       Appreciating your food and paying attention to all senses while eating – colors, smells, sounds, textures and flavors

   Paying attention to all our senses when eating will slow down our eating which will help decrease the amount we eat and allow us to better determine when full (and not eat past fullness), in additional to better enjoyment of our food.  There are several ways to help slow you down to enjoy all that our food has to offer.  Take the time to really look at your foods and all the colors and textures present, as well as taking in all the aromas present. Try putting down your utensils between bites, which will slow down your speed of eating.  Only fill your mouth ½ full with each bite to allow you to better taste the spices and textures of the foods you are eating.  Chewing food thoroughly will allow different flavors to be released.  Experts recommend chewing 20-30 times with each bite.

·       Coping with guilt and anxiety surrounding food

   There can be a lot of guilt and anxiety associated with food and eating.  It is important not to judge the feelings, thoughts and sensations that you have around food and eating.  Mindful eating isn’t about being perfect with your eating habits and food choices, it is accepting and understanding your habits and choices and considering “the why”.  Acceptance is the first step needed in order to make changes that are healthier for you.

·       Noticing the effects food has on you

   The foods we eat can dramatically affect our well-being and how we feel physically.  Energy level and mood can change depending on the types of foods we eat and our body’s response to them.  When we eat mindfully, we can make connections between how the food we eat makes us feel physically, mentally and emotionally.  Once we make the correlation then we can naturally make the switch to healthier food choices.  When we realize that the sugary processed foods, that we crave when we are feeling stressed and tired make us feel even worse, then it is easier to manage the cravings for those foods and make different choices in the future. 

Mindful eating is something that needs to be practiced.  No one is perfect, nor is that the goal.  Mindful eating is a tool to help you take control of your eating and it isn’t a restrictive diet. 

Have more questions or want assistance with your own mindful eating?  Contact the office to schedule an appointment with me.  I am happy to help!

-        Dr. G

(source material from Healthline, Harvard Health Publishing, HelpGuide, & American Diabetes Association)