What does it mean to practice Mindful Eating?
By: Rachel Hickman, Lipscomb Dietetic Intern 2021
Did you know it takes around 20 minutes from the time you put the first bite of food in your mouth for your brain to realize it needs to send fullness signals to the rest of your body? This means that when you begin eating, your brain isn’t quite caught up yet; it needs more time to receive hunger/satiety cues. Many people struggle to slow down while eating (this is understandable due to busy lives and schedules), which can impair one’s ability to read bodily cues. One eating practice that can help individuals tune into these cues is mindful eating.
Mindfulness consists of non-judgmental awareness in the present moment. Mindful eating is an approach that focuses on mind-body connection and listening to your inner self. This might mean that someone needs to only eat at the table for awhile – instead of the couch or car. At the table, this might mean slowing down chewing to savor flavors or processing the way your body feels while you are eating a meal. It involves an individual tuning into the wants and needs of their physical body (without judgment) in order to best nourish and satisfy it. Food rules and judgments disrupt a person’s ability to read their internal, bodily cues, inhibiting their ability to experience food freedom. The more a person can respond to internal cues, using mindful eating principles, the greater their mind-body connection will be. When this happens, many of the food rules and judgments start to fade due to positive experiences with food.
Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food selection and preparation by respecting your own inner wisdom.
Using all your senses in choosing to eat food that is both satisfying to you and nourishing to your body.
Acknowledging responses to food (likes, dislikes or neutral) without judgment.
Becoming aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decisions to begin and end eating.
Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying degrees of awareness surrounding the experience of food.
Accepts that their eating experiences are unique.
Is an individual who by choice, directs their attention to eating on a moment-by-moment basis.
Gains awareness of how they can make choices that support health and well being.
Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and cultural practices and the impact of their food choices on those systems.
Tips for mindful eating:
· Set a time limit for eating meals. Give yourself a time frame for eating (about 20-30 minutes). This allows your food enough time to digest and therefore gives more space for you to recognize when you feel full.
· Moderation in moderation. This concept is another way of looking at “everything in moderation.” Instead of using terminology that could place foods in “good” or “bad” categories, this way of thinking gives you the ability to have food freedom and eat all kinds of foods, without restricting certain food groups (i.e. carbs, refined sugars, high-fat). In doing so, you allow yourself the pleasure of eating foods that satisfy you and your taste buds.
· Tune in to hunger cues.When your mind begins to consider eating a meal or a snack, tune into this feeling and determine the reason why: Are you physically hungry? Are you bored? Are you emotionally strained and looking for comfort? Tuning in to your body and its desires behind wanting to eat is a large part of mindful eating.
· Find pleasure in food. Allow yourself to eat foods that you enjoy and will be satisfied with. When eating food, admire their textures, smells, and tastes. This assists in the mind-body connection.
By practicing the tips above and connecting your mind to your body, you will become more in sync with hunger, fullness, and level of satisfaction in your eating experiences, all of which can contribute to a more positive relationship with food.
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