Introduction to Mindful Eating

What is mindful eating?

Mindful eating is a practice derived from the mindfulness traditions of Buddhism, which involves bringing one's complete awareness to the present moment without judgement or criticism. 

At its core, mindful eating is about being present and eating with intention, focusing on awareness of the moment-to-moment experience, and paying attention to how food makes you feel. Mindfulness-based tools have been shown to be very helpful in developing a healthier relationship with food and taking control of your well-being.

A mindful approach to eating offers a fresh perspective and a chance to change your thoughts about food. In addition, it recognises food as neutral and not labelled as good or bad, which can help you avoid judging yourself based on your food choice. 

It is an opportunity to get to know yourself better, to notice your habits, and why you might eat even though you are not hungry. Mindful eating can help overcome emotional eating and provides a moment of pause in which you can recognise your feelings and still make a conscious food choice. 

Mindful eating is a powerful method to change unhealthy eating behaviour at a deep level which is why it is very effective for weight management and increasing overall well-being.

Mindful eating is the antidote to mindless eating. Mindfulness is awareness, and awareness is the key to change. Once we are aware of something, we can start to intentionally make small shifts in behaviour that will produce positive changes over time and bring joy back to eating again!

Mindful vs Mindless Eating

Mindless eating can be defined as the act of consuming food without paying full attention to the eating experience in the present moment. It is the opposite of mindful eating. 

It is important to note that this behaviour is not ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’, and the invitation is not to judge oneself for doing it. Instead, a more useful distinction potentially is whether it's helpful or harmful to your well-being and, instead, making more intentional food choices based on your values.

In mindless eating, we often eat automatically, without consciously considering what or how much we eat. In these moments, we are disconnected from our bodies and miss necessary hunger signals telling us when we are full. Consequently, this can lead to unconscious food choices that don’t align with our well-being.

Mindless eating can lead to the following:

• Overeating
• Binging
• Lack of portion control
• Unhealthy food choices
• Eating more sugary and less nutritionally nourishing food
• Digestive issues like heartburn and acid reflux
• Weight gain

Ultimately, mindless eating has a negative impact on our relationship with food.

Examples of mindless eating

Distractions

These are one of the most common forms of daily mindless eating. Scrolling through social media, watching TV, or eating while working on our computer diverts our attention away from the act of eating. When distracted, we become disconnected from our bodies. We cannot pay full attention to our food, how much we consume, and our level of satisfaction.

Eating too fast 

When eating on the go, we may eat very quickly and not take the time to chew our food thoroughly. This fast pace means we miss fully savouring the flavours and textures of our food and recognising feelings of satiety. Not chewing food properly also negatively impacts digestion and absorption of nutrients and can cause heartburn and acid reflux.

Environmental Cues

Our environment has a significant influence on our eating decisions. For example, free food may be laid out at work or in social situations for everyone to enjoy. However, you may find yourself grazing and picking at this food every time you pass it by without necessarily being hungry. It can be easy to eat food without thinking just because it’s in front of us.

Emotional eating

Mindless eating can be associated with emotional states such as stress, boredom, or sadness. Food can provide great pleasure, and eating for comfort during emotional distress is very common. We may reach for food as a way to cope with our emotions. Food can be a reward for getting through a tough day, and you may find yourself eating without control until the food has soothed the stressful feeling. Unfortunately, using food as a coping mechanism can lead to overconsumption.

Social peer pressure

Social events and eating out with friends and family can be challenging when making mindful food choices. This is especially true if you tend to people please. Have you ever felt the obligation to say yes to food offered to you to fit into a social event, even if you aren't hungry? Besides overeating, this may lead to eating foods you know disagree with you, causing bloating and discomfort. Eating under social pressure can also bring up guilt for making a choice we know are out of alignment with our values.

Habit Association

Mindless eating can be linked to established routines or habits. A typical example may be snacking while watching your favourite TV show in the evening or eating at set points in the day, like office lunch breaks, rather than in response to genuine physical hunger.

 

Benefits of Mindful Eating

• Nurture a positive and balanced relationship with food
• Make more empowered and nutritious food choices
• Awareness and recognition of your eating habits
• It helps to differentiate between physical and emotional hunger
• Reduce and avoid overeating and undereating by being present
• Make eating a pleasurable experience 
• Maintain healthy portion control
• Mindful food selection: Consider the nutritional value of your food 
• Improve digestion and absorption of vitamins & minerals
• It helps to view food as neutral rather than labels like ‘good’ or ‘bad.’
• Generate gratitude for food and its ability to nourish our bodies.
• Positively contributes to sustainable weight loss and maintenance
• Cultivate compassion towards ourselves and our bodies

 

Using Mindful Eating to relieve side effects

Mindful eating can be valuable in managing common side effects like nausea, bloating and acid reflux. Here are some tips to try: 

• Listen to your body and acknowledge your hunger signals. Don’t force yourself to eat if you can’t tolerate food.
• Pay attention to how your body responds to certain foods and whether they exacerbate or relieve your symptoms
• Eat and drink very slowly and take a pause between mouthfuls. 
• Intentionally try smaller frequent meals that will keep you nourished even with a reduced appetite
• Be mindful of staying hydrated 

When feeling unwell, treating yourself gently and with care is important. So try this self-compassion practice to offer yourself extra loving kindness while feeling under the weather.

Experiencing side effects can feel stressful. Therefore, it can be very beneficial to try a Mindful Breathing practice which can help you relax deeper and ride out unpleasant sensations.

Remember, you can combine mindful eating practices with our medical team's tips on managing side effects.

Getting started with mindful Eating

Mindful eating can be as simple as

• Avoid distractions, and give full attention to eating and your food.
• Choosing foods that nourish you
• Slowing down and chewing more. 
• Listening to your hunger cues and stopping eating when you are full
• Savour the sensations of eating and reconnecting to the smells, colours and textures of food again.
• Pausing and checking in with your body as you eat

In reality, it is unlikely we will be 100% mindful all the time, and that's ok. The invitation is to bring conscious awareness to your eating and food choices as often as possible. And with any new habit, please give yourself some patience and extra self-compassion at this early stage. And finally, it can be helpful to journal about your experience with mindful eating and reflect on what comes up as you go.

Action steps: 

1. Watch the mindful eating video series

Mindful Eating Part 1: An Introduction To Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating Part 2: Examples of Mindless Eating

Mindful Eating Part 3 : Four Ways to Eat More Mindfully

2. Try our guided mindful eating practice below.

Mindful Eating Practice

How to:

• Use a strawberry, raisin, orange or any piece of fruit you prefer. Something with a strong pleasant smell is recommended.
• You can do this at your kitchen table or any comfortable space.
• The invitation is to put your phone on silent and remove any distractions like TV, radio or laptops from the space you are in. The intention is to be undisturbed for 10 minutes so you can give all of your attention to your food.
• Before starting, the invitation is to take a deep breath and slowly exhale.

Step 1: Touch

Holding the strawberry in your hand by the stalk. Begin by feeling the sensation of the strawberry resting in your hand. Notice its weight, shape and texture.

Step 2: See

Look a little more closely, seeing the vibrant red and green colours and noticing the tiny seeds all over the surface.

Step 3: Smell

Slowly bring the strawberry closer to your nose and deeply inhale. Noticing how strong the aroma is.

Step 4: Gratitude Pause

Before taking a bite, sit with gratitude for all the conditions required for this piece of fruit to be in your hand now. The sunlight for the strawberry to grow, the earth, the rain, and the farmers who tended the crops.

Step 5: Taste

• Notice if you are salivating or feeling ready to eat
• Mindfully take a tiny bite
• Hold it on your tongue without swallowing
• Notice the desire to chew and stay with the sensation of it resting on your tongue
• Notice the flavour
• Very slowly, begin to mindfully chew, staying present and aware of the sensations as you swallow the small piece of fruit
• Mindfully bring the strawberry to your mouth again and take a small bite, allowing the piece to rest on your tongue once more for a moment before chewing
• Focus on tasting the rich flavour
• Bring your awareness to the sensation of the fruit moving down your throat as you swallow
• In your own time, eat the remainder of the strawberry with mindful awareness

Step 6: Check in with yourself

• Mindfully check in with your body. How do you feel?
• Are you feeling satisfied?
• Do you feel like eating more?
• How did it feel to eat in such a slow and deliberate way?
• What did you notice?
• Did you find slowing down beneficial?
• How did it feel to eat without distraction?