What does mindfulness have to do with food and eating? In short, you and your meals are meant to be PALS.
- Present: You are free of distractions and not engaging with electronics, shows, etc. Avoid social media or media consumption while you eat. Be present and let your mind be with your body and your meal.
- Attentive: You pay attention to the food—the flavor, texture, aroma, temperature. You savor and enjoy each bite.
- Listening: You are receptive to your body’s cues about what and how much you should be eating. When you’re satisfied, stop eating. Nothing wrong with saving some leftovers!
- Slow: You take the time to savor each bite, chew it fully and properly, and enjoy.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is an ancient spiritual practice. It involves focusing your mind and thoughts intently on the present and fully experiencing what’s happening, observing your whole being through an objective lens without judging yourself. This can be brought about in various ways, from exercise to traditional meditation. But it can be done at virtually any time, simply by checking in with your senses and your emotions.
A simple approach to mindfulness is to ask yourself (and answer honestly) questions like:
- What am I doing right now? Am I present?
- What am I seeing/hearing?
- What am I smelling/tasting?
- What am I feeling, both physically and emotionally?
In asking these questions and thinking carefully about their answers, you’re practicing mindfulness. If you find you don’t like the answers, it’s worth exploring the reason why, without judgement. Mindfulness is an excellent way to feel gratitude and joy while engaging in the world around you.
How are Mindful Eating and Weight Loss Connected?
It can be easy to think of the mind and body as distinct, separate things, but it’s more appropriate to think of them as two parts of a whole individual, extremely connected in myriad ways. One such way is your relationship with food.
Think about the last meal or snack you ate. Were you engaged with your meal? Or were you distracted? Did you put on a TV show or YouTube video while you ate? Did you eat while scrolling through social media or checking emails on your phone?
Did you know it can take up to 20 minutes for your body to send and receive the ‘fullness’ signal? This is plenty of time to finish an entire meal—or an entire bag of chips. If you don’t give your body time to tell you what you need—or don’t pay attention to its signals—you run the risk of overeating.
Eating mindlessly makes it easy to eat too much and can leave you feeling heavy and bloated afterward. But when you focus on being fully present while eating, it can help you tap into your body’s natural hunger cues, so you eat what your body needs.
Try asking mindfulness questions about your meal while you’re eating (you may notice these are more specific versions of the general mindfulness questions above).
- What are the flavors?
- What are the textures?
- Have I had food like this before? Where/when?
- How does my body normally feel after I eat food like this?
- Does this inspire any ideas for meals I could make in the future?
And, perhaps most importantly:
- How am I feeling? Am I full yet or am I not quite satisfied?
Being more mindful during meals can help improve digestion, reduce calorie consumption, and fine-tune your ideal portion sizes to be more fitting for your body’s needs.
Can Mindfulness Impact Your Relationship with Food?
Beyond distracted eating, several factors can impact how you relate to food, such as social pressures, finances, convenience, and having too much on your plate (literally and figuratively). For many, food can be an emotional crutch or a go-to for boredom.
Increased awareness of your emotions, beliefs, and habits can make it easier to make healthier choices.
Some research suggests mindfulness practices can aid weight loss. An analysis of 18 studies that included people who reported significant weight loss found mindfulness-based practices helped participants lose an additional 6–7 pounds. It also helped people better manage unhealthy eating habits, like mindless snacking or emotional eating.
How can you add more mindfulness practices to your life? Try some of these ideas:
- A few times a day, take a couple minutes to focus on the present moment. Check-in with yourself and pay attention to your breath, body, and emotions.
- Try meditation. Begin with short periods of meditation, such as 5-10 minutes a day, and gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable with the practice.
- Be mindful during exercise. Consider leaving your headphones behind and just pay attention to the world around you instead.
- Attend a yoga class. Yoga classes typically incorporate meditation or other mindfulness practices.
- Turn a mundane chore like washing dishes or brushing your teeth into a mindful experience. Feel the warmth of the water, the texture of the soap or toothpaste, and the sound of the clinking dishes without distraction.
- Spend some time in nature every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Notice the sight and sounds of the outdoors like the feeling of the sun on your skin, the sound of birds chirping, or the rustling of leaves.
- Journaling is a great way to practice mindfulness and get your feelings out. Here are several journal prompts to help you get started. [link to journal prompts article]
This is your call to more mindful eating and more mindful life. Whatever your next meal or snack is, take the time to savor it and listen attentively to how your body is feeling before, during, and after.
Incorporate more mindfulness practices into your day to help support your weight loss efforts, particularly when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Being present more often can help you manage your stress and adopt a positive mindset to help you reach your goals.
