When we talk about food, we typically focus on what we’re eating. Kale, good. Donuts, bad. But how we’re eating is also important. Are we wolfing down our food while driving or scrolling through Instagram? Are we using food to distract ourselves from unwanted feelings? Or are we eating consciously and gratefully, nourishing our bodies with good food choices? In this article, we’ll explore the challenge — and power — of mindful eating.
It’s not just that the food itself is often unhealthy. Sadly, if we bring little awareness, we are unlikely to find lasting satisfaction or nourishment. When we eat while focused on other things, it’s more difficult to feel a connection to the sources of that food — where it came from, what’s in it, how it got to us, whose labor contributed to its production and distribution. And it’s also harder to pay attention to how our food makes us feel while we’re eating it. Only later, after indulging, might we notice nausea, bloating, gas, lethargy, fogginess, and the other myriad maladies caused by overeating stuff that isn’t really even food, but actually manufactured food-like substances.
That’s a pretty grim picture. It reminds me of the movie Wall-E, in which sedentary, obese humans who have lost the ability to walk, float around on antigravity deck chairs, and mindlessly consume “lunch in a cup” while watching screens advertise all manner of consumption. But luckily, there are many ways to reconnect with our food, choose healthier options, and enjoy them more. And one of them is mindful eating.
Mindfulness is a practice inspired by the contemplative practices of many schools and faiths, including Christianity . It involves bringing attention and awareness to what you are doing in the here and now. Anything can be the subject of mindful contemplation, including your breath, physical sensations, an object in the environment (such as a candle flame, or a tree), a mantra (repeated word or phrase), or in the case of mindful eating, all the sensations related to the food that’s in front of (and inside of) you. Studies have shown that mindfulness can lead to better focus , less stress , and lower rates of depression .
Mindless Eating
We don’t have to be “on the go” to eat while doing other things, however. What’s called “mindless eating” has become the default for many of us these days. How many of us eat lunch at our desks? How often are we too busy to pause what else we’re doing while we eat?
The company that makes Pretzel Crisps conducted a survey in 2019. It found that almost 9 out of 10 Americans regularly dine while looking at an electronic screen.
If you can relate to any of this, you’re certainly not alone. The hectic pace of modern life impacts all of us. Sometimes it can feel like you have to multi-task just to keep up.
Our culture has shifted from “three meals a day” to “all food, all the time.” And never before has food been so readily available: co-workers routinely bring donuts and other sweets to work. In towns around the world, you can find junk food for sale on every corner. Convenience stores and gas stations offer an abundance of easy-to-eat, “one-handed,” packaged and fast food. And in many downtown areas, food trucks peddle greasy and unhealthy takeout dishes to hurried workers and students.
And it goes even further when eating meets entertainment. What movie theater would be complete without audiences eating popcorn drenched in butter while gasping and shrieking at the latest thriller? And what sports stadium doesn’t offer hot dogs, tacos, cheese fries, and local specialties like deep-fried PB&J on a stick, a staple of the Buffalo Bill’s New Era Field in New York.
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating is maintaining an in-the-moment awareness of the food and drink you put into your body. It involves observing how the food makes you feel and the signals your body sends about taste, satisfaction, and fullness. Mindful eating requires you to simply acknowledge and accept rather than judge the feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations you observe. It can extend to the process of buying, preparing, and serving your food as well as consuming it.
For many of us, our busy daily lives often make mealtimes rushed affairs. We find ourselves eating in the car commuting to work, at the desk in front of a computer screen, or parked on the couch watching TV. We eat mindlessly, shoveling food down regardless of whether we’re still hungry or not. In fact, we often eat for reasons other than hunger—to satisfy emotional needs, to relieve stress, or cope with unpleasant emotions such as sadness, anxiety, loneliness, or boredom. Mindful eating is the opposite of this kind of unhealthy “mindless” eating.
Mindful eating isn’t about being perfect, always eating the right things, or never allowing yourself to eat on-the-go again. And it’s not about establishing strict rules for how many calories you can eat or which foods you have to include or avoid in your diet. Rather, it’s about focusing all your senses and being present as you shop for, cook, serve, and eat your food.
While mindfulness isn’t for everyone, many people find that by eating this way, even for just a few meals a week, you can become more attuned to your body. This can help you to avoid overeating, make it easier to change your dietary habits for the better, and enjoy the improved well-being that comes with a healthier diet .
Practicing mindful eating forces you to slow down, focus on the present moment, and notice what you’re really feeling. And when you repeatedly ask yourself, “How well do I feel after a meal or snack?” you’ll begin the process of gaining awareness of your own specific nutritional needs. You’ll measure meals and snacks in terms of how they affect your well-being. Your purpose for eating will shift from the intention of feeling full of food, to the intention of feeling full of energy and vitality.
Paying attention to the moment-to-moment experience of eating can help you improve your diet, manage food cravings, and even lose weight. Here’s how to start eating mindfully.
How to Be More Mindful When You Eat
It’s easy to say “be mindful.” But the problem with that is, you kind of have to be mindful to remember to be mindful. Especially when the behavior is eating, which as we’ve seen is often an automatic process triggered by cues outside of our conscious awareness. One way to escape this trap is to create habits and rituals around eating that you commit to, so they become the new defaults.
Gratitude
One such ritual that has stood the test of time in many cultures is a gratitude prayer or blessing at the beginning of a meal. Just taking a few seconds to acknowledge appreciation for the food and the many hands that make it possible can reduce cravings, alleviate stress, and bring your attention to the qualities of the food in front of you. If you’re with others, you can take a few moments to “say grace” together.
Tune In to Your Body
Another useful habit to deploy before eating is to get in touch with your body. Take a moment to notice your posture, your breathing, your emotional state, and your energy level. Now bring that body awareness into your mouth, and direct it toward the process of chewing and swallowing. Use all your senses. Practicing this will help you identify foods that serve your physical body — and those that undermine its functioning.
Commit to eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly. Since your main “I’m full — stop eating” signal comes from stretch receptors in your stomach, if you’re eating a mile a minute, you can still feel hungry after consuming way more food than your stomach can comfortably hold. By the time your stomach starts registering fullness, you might actually be really uncomfortable. Instead, eating slowly allows you to recognize and act on satiety signals in a timely manner, thus avoiding overeating.
Turn Off & Put Away Distractions
Make a rule to turn off and put away potential distractions during meal times. Avoid TV, your cellphone, laptops, tablets, and newspapers while you’re eating. If you usually eat on the sofa in front of the TV, how would it feel to switch locations to reduce the pull of conditioned habit?
Take Stock of Triggers
Finally, use the space you create by eating slowly and mindfully to notice your motivations for eating. Ask yourself: “Why am I choosing to eat at this moment?” You may discover that you’re bored, or feeling another emotion or physical state you want to move away from. You may realize that some external cue triggered you: the time, the location, a particular aroma. Perhaps you’re actually not hungry, but thirsty. Take stock, and you’ll soon get better at distinguishing true hunger from all the other reasons you might eat.
Benefits of mindful eating
By paying close attention to how you feel as you eat—the texture and tastes of each mouthful, your body’s hunger and fullness signals, how different foods affect your energy and mood—you can learn to savor both your food and the experience of eating. Being mindful of the food you eat can promote better digestion, keep you full with less food, and influence wiser choices about what you eat in the future. It can also help you free yourself from unhealthy habits around food and eating.
Eating mindfully can help you to:
- Slow down and take a break from the hustle and bustle of your day, easing stress and anxiety .
- Examine and change your relationship with food—helping you to notice when you turn to food for reasons other than hunger, for example.
- Derive greater pleasure from the food you eat, as you learn to slow down and more fully appreciate your meals and snacks.
- Make healthier choices about what you eat by focusing on how each type of food makes you feel after eating it.
- Improve your digestion by eating slower.
- Feel fuller sooner and by eating less food.
- Make a greater connection to where your food comes from, how it’s produced, and the journey it’s taken to your plate.
- Eat in a healthier, more balanced way.
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Fitting mindful eating into your life
For most of us, it’s unrealistic to think we can be mindful for every bite or even for every meal we eat. The pressures of work and family sometimes mean you’re forced to eat on the go or have only a limited window to eat something or risk going hungry for the rest of the day. But even when you can’t adhere to a strict mindful eating practice, you can still avoid eating mindlessly and ignoring your body’s signals.
Perhaps you can take a few deep breaths before eating a meal or snack to quietly contemplate what you’re about to put into your body. Are you eating in response to hunger signals or are you eating in response to an emotional signal? Maybe you’re bored or anxious or lonely?
Similarly, are you eating food that is nutritionally healthy or are you eating food that is emotionally comforting? Even if you have to eat at your desk, for example, can you take a few moments to focus all your attention on your food, rather than multitasking or being distracted by your computer or phone?
Think of mindful eating like exercise: every little bit counts. The more you can do to slow down, focus solely on the process of eating, and listen to your body, the greater satisfaction you’ll experience from your food and the greater control you’ll have over your diet and nutrition habits.
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