Mindful Eating: What is it?

by ADMIN on MARCH 10, 2016

Eating has become a race in our society.

We want to get it done faster so that we can get back to work, get the kids to practice, or just simply get it over with. We grab breakfast on the run. We take lunch to go.

Many of us have forgotten that eating is more than just a necessary fuel, it’s also for nourishment. It enhances mental acuity. It helps keep our emotional integrity.

Food plays a role in almost every aspect of our lives whether we want it to or not. And for many, food is used as a band-aid for pain, joy, and sometimes even boredom.

Adults spend only about 1 hour and 12 minutes per day eating. Kids are just as rushed and often eat in only 11 minutes during the school lunch period.

But it’s not just the speed of our eating that’s the problem. We’re a nation of multi-taskers. We eat while watching TV, reading a book or magazine, responding to email… and even driving! Today, more than 66% of Americans eat dinner in front of the TV.

With food at the center of American culture, it’s important to look at not only what we eat, but how we eat. Especially since scientists are beginning to see how complex the mind-body connection is in eating behavior.

What is Mindless Eating?

Mindless eating is eating without awareness. Like when you munch on a snack in front of the TV and suddenly it’s gone – and you don’t remember finishing it!

It turns out that when we eat mindlessly, or when our mind is ‘tuned-out’ during meal time, the digestive process is 30% to 40% less effective. This can contribute to gas, bloating, and bowel irregularities.

Am I hungry?

The brain and central nervous system receive signals from the body when food is needed or desired. These signals may have several triggers, from actual hunger to our mood.

Once eating is underway, our brain monitors the signals coming in from the body to determine when we’re full and will send out a signal to stop eating.

However, if we are multi-tasking during eating, these critical signals that regulate food intake may not be recognized or received by the brain.

If the brain doesn’t receive certain signals during eating, such as the sensation of taste and satisfaction, it may fail to register the event as ‘eating’.

This scenario can lead the brain to continually send out hunger signals, even after you're full - increasing the chance you’ll overeat.

What is Mindful Eating?

Eating mindfully means eating with awareness. Deliberately paying attention to not just what’s on your plate, but the experience of eating. Being present for each sensation: food preparation, the colors on your plate, the aroma, the taste, and swallowing.

It’s also paying attention to our body’s response to the food: Where are we hungry in the body? Where do we feel satisfied? What does our fullness feel like?

To be fully in the moment you also have to acknowledge what emotional responses may come up. Do you like the food? Are you eating it only because it’s ‘healthy’? Do you feel guilty for eating it?

Acknowledging these responses without judgement, no matter what they are, can help free you from the control food may have over you.

It’s important to avoid criticizing yourself when eating, or to compare yourself to someone else.

Stop when you're satisfied

The goal is to give yourself permission to eat something, eat it mindfully, and then give yourself permission to stop once you feel satisfied.

Know that your body will tell you to stop when you're satisfied, you just have to start slowing down and trusting your intuition. This is something that we as adults have lost: the ability to sense when we’re full or satisfied.

Food plays such a huge role in our society and lives that we’ve learned to overeat rather than slow down and enjoy.

It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain it’s full. Twenty full minutes. So if you wolf down your food in less than 10 without acknowledging or experiencing it, then you may eat more than your body needs.

Eating slower and without distraction is the key to mindful eating. Simply by thinking more fully about your meal, and all the emotions and senses that go into it, you’ll be more likely to eat without guilt, enjoy the experience, and make more nourishing decisions for your body.

Sources:

1. Nelson JB. Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat. Diabetes Spectr. 2017;30(3):171-174. doi:10.2337/ds17-0015

2. Harvard T Chan School of Public Health. Mindful Eating. NutritionSource.HSPH.Harvard.edu. Accessed 16 July 2024.