It’s so clear to me how much we all inherently recognize what’s really good for our bodies by the current obsession we have with mindfulness, and specifically, mindful eating. The stats show we are right to be enthralled: nothing could be healthier than living, and eating, mindfully.
We may be obsessed with this pleasurable, stress-relieving, weight-reducing, health-promoting powerhouse of a practice (that literally makes every moment we employ it exponentially better) because we recognize its value… from somewhere deep within. How much do we really know that living our best lives is really a whole lot easier than we’ve previously been led to believe. Mindful eating can make our highest health not only effortless, but more pleasing than staying the same!
What is Mindful Eating?
Mindfulness is a Zen Buddhist practice that, like other forms of meditation, has taken Western researchers by storm. This spiritual practice is proving to not only benefit our psychological wellness, and our emotional well-being, but our physical health in tangible and even easy to attain ways.
Mindful eating (i.e., paying attention to our food, on purpose, moment by moment, without judgment) is an approach to food that focuses on individuals’ sensual awareness of the food and their experience of the food… The intention is to help individuals savor the moment and the food and encourage their full presence for the eating experience.
Dr. Joseph Nelson, Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat
Dr. Nelson goes on to explain that although mindful eating has nothing to do with classic weight loss nutritional concerns (like calories, carbohydrates, fat, or protein) it is highly statistically likely that those who adopt this style of eating will lose weight.
It is completely different than any other approach to health and nutrition in that there is no direction on what to eat, how much to eat, and what not to eat. In fact, there is no directive at all — mindful eating is simply bringing your awareness, without judgement, to focus on appreciating the experience of food.
Nelson writes “it is not coincidental that, within a mindful approach, the person’s choices often are to eat less, savor eating more, and select foods consistent with desirable health benefits” without the usual restrictive or limiting advice they’d usually receive about nutrition.
What does a Mindfulness Eating Practice involve?
All a practitioner of mindful eating needs to do is bring their awareness, and focus, to food: how hungry they are, why they are eating, what they are eating, where their food comes from, how it tastes, smells, feels, and how does it make them feel when they eat.
Mindful Eating Supports you:
- make more intentional food choices
- discern between physical and psychological hunger
- develop more conscientiousness of satiety cues (feeling your fullness)
- more peace of mind/less rushing at the plate
One of the biggest draws to this practice for me is that it’s so easy & pleasurable to do — I can’t think of any reason anyone would not eat mindfully!
Benefits of Mindful Eating | What about Weight Loss?
That’s right, you can focus on the eating part of your diet (instead of cutting out food and eating less) to lose weight effectively! In fact, mindfulness eating practice is proving itself to be perhaps the only effective “diet” out there! The best part? By directing your awareness to eating mindfully, you’ll actually get more physical and emotional enjoyment from the food you eat! Could a “diet” sound any better?! (Current Obesity Reports Journal)
Mindful eating is more than just a diet, it’s an overall health strategy that benefits:
- depression
- anxiety
- diabetes
- stress
- immunity
- poor eating habits
- food cravings
- eating disorders
- weight loss and
- weight management
Mindful eating has been shown to significantly reduce overeating habits and compulsive behaviours like binge eating. This incredible practice improves behavioural flexibility in people who normally respond automatically, compulsively, as well as gives them increased self-compassion and reduces their stress levels. It gives people the chance to gain control over their eating habits (no matter how addictive and out of control they’ve become).
What’s more is that mindful eating carries no risk of developing anorexia. In fact, eating mindfully can be used as a therapeutic practice to treat eating disorders.
How to Practice Mindful Eating: Presence at the Plate
- Set a timer for 20 minutes at meal time. Pace yourself through 20 minutes to eat a normal-sized meal.
- Switch to using your non-dominant hand if you’re having trouble stretching mealtime out this long; hold your fork in your non-dominant hand when lifting food to your mouth.
- Using chopsticks is a great way to slow down (if you don’t normally use them daily).
- Take five minutes for silence at mealtime, considering what it took to produce that meal, from the sun’s rays to the farmer’s work, to the grocer, to the cook.
- Take small bites and chew well. Notice how it tastes and feels. Notice how it makes you feel.
- Before opening the fridge or cabinet, take a breath and ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?” if no, have some water. If that doesn’t work, try doing something else, like reading or going on a short walk.
Walk with me through a mindful eating practice taught by Thich Nhat Hahn & Dr. Lillian Cheung
Other posts related to mindful eating:
- Cure Emotional Eating
- The Physical Benefits of Meditation
- Intuitive Eating
- A Mindfulness Weight Loss Program
- Heal your Relationship with Food
