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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019re still hungry or not. In fact, we often eat for reasons other than hunger\u2014to 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 \u201cmindless\u201d eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mindful eating isn\u2019t about being perfect, always eating the right things, or never allowing yourself to eat on-the-go again. And it\u2019s 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\u2019s about focusing all your senses and being present as you shop for, cook, serve, and eat your food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While mindfulness isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more. Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.Take Assessment<\/a>HelpGuide is user supported. We earn a commission if you sign up for BetterHelp\u2019s services after clicking through from this site. Learn more<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n By paying close attention to how you feel as you eat\u2014the texture and tastes of each mouthful, your body\u2019s hunger and fullness signals, how different foods affect your energy and mood\u2014you 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eating mindfully can help you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To practice mindfulness<\/a>, you need to participate in an activity with total awareness. In the case of mindful eating, it\u2019s important to eat with all your attention rather than on \u201cautomatic pilot\u201d or while you\u2019re reading, looking at your phone, watching TV, daydreaming, or planning what you\u2019re doing later. When your attention strays, gently bring it back to your food and the experience of cooking, serving, and eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try practicing mindful eating for short, five-minute periods at first and gradually build up from there. And remember: you can begin mindful eating when you\u2019re making your shopping list or browsing the menu at a restaurant. Carefully assess each item you add to your list or choose from the menu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For most of us, it\u2019s 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\u2019re 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\u2019t adhere to a strict mindful eating practice, you can still avoid eating mindlessly and ignoring your body\u2019s signals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you can take a few deep breaths before eating a meal or snack to quietly contemplate what you\u2019re 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\u2019re bored or anxious or lonely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019ll experience from your food and the greater control you\u2019ll have over your diet and nutrition habits<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBenefits of mindful eating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
How to practice mindful eating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Fitting mindful eating into your life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Making the switch from mindless to mindful eating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n