How to Practice Mindful Eating for Beginners
Mindfulness and meditation can be a useful tool to calm your mind, find inner peace, and reduce stress and anxiety. Mindful eating is a mindfulness tool that you can use to achieve those goals.
Maybe you love your daily meditation practice and are looking for more ways to incorporate mindfulness into daily life…or maybe you like the idea behind mindfulness but aren’t sure it’s for you.
Whether you land on either side of the spectrum or somewhere in the middle, this post is for you.
Learn how to practice mindful eating in daily life.
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating is a technique in which you maintain in-the-moment awareness of the food and drink you are consuming.
You observe the way that the food tastes, smells, makes you feel, etc. rather than judging your food or eating while distracted.
You can use this practice during the purchase and preparation of your food as well, but a good starting point is to use the practice while you are consuming the food.
Eating mindfully is intentionally the opposite of our tendency to eat mindlessly.
You may find that you fall into the trap of eating mindlessly when you are stressed or busy.
This might look like sitting down in front of the TV with your dinner every night or eating to fill an emotional void rather than the feeling of actual hunger.
Mindful eating on the other hand works to help you develop healthy food habits.
Is this practice right for you?
This mindful way to consume food can be a great tool for everyone to use. It can be especially helpful if you suffer from stress and anxiety.
Mindfulness in general helps you develop a greater awareness of the present so you can train your mind to focus on the now rather than worrying about the past or the future.
It can also be helpful if you have been struggling with weight loss or have been finding that all of the diets and nutrition plans you’ve tried are falling flat.
Lastly, eating mindfully is also beneficial for anyone who suffers from an eating disorder, emotional eating, or has a tendency to overeat. If you fall in this bucket, I also recommend you speak to a therapist or counselor about your eating habits, if possible.
Because this practice will help you be in better touch with your body’s signals, you will notice when you feel full sooner. Your mind will also begin to associate food more with actual hunger as opposed to comfort when you experience a bad emotion.
How do you practice mindful eating?
Eating mindfully is really simple and easy to do! It won’t require a great deal of effort or add any extra time to your day.
To practice the technique, sit down to eat in a quiet room with little distraction. Turn off the TV and put away your phone or put it on silent.
Eat slowly, really paying attention to how the food tastes, smells, and feels in your mouth. Chew thoroughly before swallowing.
Notice your emotions and feelings as you eat your food. Try not to place judgment on whether or not the food is “good”, just pay attention to how it feels to eat it.
If thoughts like “I should have added more salt…” or other judgments come into your mind, notice these thoughts but then refocus your brain to your objective awareness.
Pay close attention to your body as you eat, and stop as soon as you begin to feel full.
What are the benefits of mindful eating?
Mindful eating has several benefits. First, eating mindfully will help you appreciate your food more.
You will take greater notice of the flavors, colors, and tastes of your food than you otherwise would if you ate while distracted.
Second, eating mindfully can help you reduce anxiety and the feeling of guilt around food.
Mindful eating has also been shown to help individuals reduce overeating and lose weight because you have greater awareness of when you become full.
It can take up to 20 minutes to realize you’re full, especially if eating while distracted. When you pay attention and eat slower, you’ll notice that you feel full sooner.
Do you ever make your dinner and sit down in front of the TV while you eat? Do you grab seconds just because your episode isn’t over yet? And then you feel so full after you can barely move…
If that sounds familiar, you may benefit from mindful eating because you will notice when you become full and stop eating just to eat.
Another reason that mindful eating can benefit you is the heightened positive feelings you will feel towards food.
Mindful eating helps you change the way you think about food and give you a greater sense of control and awareness around your eating habits.
How often should you engage in this practice?
There really isn’t any limit or minimum to the amount of times per week you should practice mindful eating.
I recommend starting with one meal per day in order to build the habit and not be overwhelmed. As it becomes more natural, you can increase how often you practice eating mindfully or adjust to your schedule as necessary.
Like with any habit, it will take time to build up the practice and make it feel like a natural part of your daily routine. It’s also going to take time to really feel the benefits and effects of the practice.
Be patient with yourself and always be forgiving if you miss a day or two. That will happen, and it’s okay!
That is an introduction to mindful eating for beginners…
Comment below if you try mindful eating and let me know what you think!
For more information on mindfulness and healthy eating, check out these posts:
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