What Is Mindful Eating and How Can I Make It Work in 2023?
You can enjoy your food so much more when you eat mindfully. (Photo: Nathan Cowley)
by Doug Conway
We all eat food every day – but how many of us do it mindfully? Unless you’ve been in the meditation community, you might not have even heard of ‘mindful eating’ – and if you have, maybe you’ve been left wondering….
“What is mindful eating?”
Sound familiar? Great! Then you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll break down mindful eating in the easiest way possible. You’ll also get three tips on how to make mindful eating a part of your day to day life.
What Is Mindful Eating?
When most people eat, they’re doing so on autopilot (similar to when brushing their teeth). Mindful eating is exactly the opposite: you take your time with each bite, appreciate the food, and allow your mind to concentrate fully on the experience of eating.
Sipping your tea or coffee mindfully is a great way to make mindful eating a part of your daily routine. (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio)
The most prominent benefits of mindful eating are stress-relief and becoming in tune with your body. When you’re focused on eating, you become present. The more present you become, the easier it is to counteract the stress responses in your body and mind.
3 Ways To Implement Mindful Eating In Your Daily Life
1. Don’t Let Hunger Get The Better Of You
A common nutritional myth is that you need to eat a few small meals each day to be a healthy person. Depending on how ‘small’ you’re planning to go, this may leave you feeling hungry.
The problem is that it’s difficult to eat mindfully when all your brain cares about is getting the next bite as soon as possible!
On the other hand, you don’t want to be full either, as you won’t enjoy your meal.
When you’re hungry (but not too much!) you can still appreciate your food without rushing. You can then ask yourself the following question before and after every bite to stay present:
How does my body feel right now?
As you get to the end of your meal, take note of how your body begins to feel fuller and more nourished. After you’ve finished your food, it’s also a good idea to write your experience down in a journal, so you remember how it feels to become more in touch with your body.
But remember - if you decide to write everything down afterward, be sure to continue eating mindfully without any expectations. Mindful eating is all about the here and now, not what happened in the past!
You also need to remember that your body is constantly changing. Foods that made your body feel a certain way last week will likely produce a different response in the future.
2. Use All Your Senses
Do you think that eating only requires smell and taste? Think again! When you’re eating mindfully, you use all your senses.
Here are some examples:
Feel: Before eating your food, take note of how it feels. Is the texture firm, rough, or soft?
Smell: Does your food smell spicy, bitter, sweet, or fragrant?
Sight: Try to observe your food before eating. Look at each item on your plate and take note of the colors, shapes, and appearance.
Taste: Make sure to chew your food slowly and notice the variety of different flavors.
Sound: Consider the sound your food makes each and every time you take a bite.
Using all five senses when eating allows you to appreciate your food more. You’ll finish each meal feeling satisfied, relaxed, and happy!
3. Block Out Time
As we discussed previously, to eat mindfully, you need to slow down and allow enough time for your meals.
One of the best ways to do this is by blocking out a window of time where you focus solely on eating your food mindfully. We recommend allowing a one-hour window each time you eat, as this leaves plenty of time in case you take longer than expected.
If that seems like a lot, start by doing it just a few times a week. You may find you enjoy it so much that you want to do it every day!
Summary
Eating mindfully gives your body a chance to relax and become present. In turn, this helps your stress levels decrease so you can enjoy food more and live more happily. The key to mindful eating is using all your senses while blocking out plenty of time to eat.
Doug is a fitness enthusiast by profession, and a writer by passion. Doug writes for a variety of blogs and publications in the fitness and health sector.