Why Is Mindful Eating Important

Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of yourself in the present moment.

According to Google, more specifically, it’s “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”

According to Psychology Today,

Mindfulness is a practice involved in various religious and secular traditions—from Hinduism and Buddhism to yoga and, more recently, non-religious meditation. People have been practicing mindfulness for thousands of years, whether on its own or as part of a larger tradition. In general, mindfulness was popularized in the East by religious and spiritual institutions, while in the West its popularity can be traced to particular people and secular institutions. Of course, even the secular tradition of mindfulness in the West owes its roots to Eastern religions and traditions.

Mindfulness can be applied to all parts of life, including eating.

Mindful eating is saving and allowing your senses to experience and enjoy your food choices. Mindful eating is being present and focusing all your senses as you shop, prepare, cook, and eat your food.

However, mindful eating is often a neglected practice, especially in today’s fast-paced lifestyle.

So, I’m dedicating this post to the importance of mindful eating and how you can start eating mindfully, enjoy the process, and reap the benefits of mindful eating.

Why Is Mindful Eating Important

There are seven main benefits to eating mindfully.

Benefit 1: You’re more connected to your body.
Benefit 2: You reduce the likelihood of overeating.
Benefit 3: You’ll lose weight.
Benefit 4: You’ll stop stress eating.
Benefit 5: You’ll make healthier food choices.
Benefit 6: You’ll better understand your body cues.
Benefit 7: You’ll enjoy your food more.

How To Eat Mindfully

I created seven tips that will show you how to eat mindfully each and every day.

Here’s a look…

Tip 1: Listen to your body.

The first tip is to listen to your body.

This means getting out of the mental chatter in your head and actually pay attention to the sensations you have inside yourself.

Do you know what physical hunger feels like? Most of us don’t.

What you want to tap into is your own “hunger scale” so you know when you need to eat and when you’re full (before you’re too full).

It all starts with listening to your body.

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Tip 2: Slow down your eating.

The best way to listen to your body and practice mindful eating is to practice slowing down your eating.

By slowing down your eating, you’ll completely change your eating experience because you’ll start to notice what your food is really like, as well as noticing how your body responds.

In fact, this alone is one of the best eating habits to get started with.

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Tip 3: Pay attention to the characteristics of what you’re eating.

A lot of emotional eating happens when you’re mindlessly eating in order to feel better.

I talk more about this here: How To Stop Emotional Eating.

To slow yourself down and break this habit, start to focus your attention on the characteristics of what it is you’re eating. Think of how your food smells and tastes.

Ask questions like…

Is it hot? Cold?
What’s the texture like?
Is it hard? Soft?
How does it feel in your mouth and on your teeth?
How does it go down your throat?
Is there an after taste?

This is what I mean by “characteristics.” It will keep you in the present moment, where you’re so much more connected to the food you’re eating at every meal.

Tip 4: Remove distractions when you’re eating.

While you’re eating, remove distractions, such as texting, working, playing with your kids, etc.

While I know this isn’t always realistic, even if you can do it once per day, that will be enough to get you started eating more mindfully a little bit at a time.

You’ll change your relationship with food forever if you’re distraction-free and also truly focused on your body and your food.

It’s so nourishing in a whole bodied way.

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Tip 5: Plan your meals.

Plan your meals as much as possible so that you don’t binge eat in response to what’s happening in your life.

For example, if you eat only when you’re upset, then you’ll end up having a very toxic relationship with food where you’re dependent on it to make you feel better.

Planning meals can be a great way to maintain control over your food, while at the same time being more of a mindful eater.

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Tip 6: Leave a little bit of your food on your plate.

Practice leaving a little bit of food on your plate to practice some constraint.

This is counterintuitive to most people, particularly if you grew up with Depression Era parents or grandparents where leaving food on your plate was considered being wasteful.

As one of my coaches, Corinne Crabtree says, “better in the trash than on my ass!”

While she’s certainly being playful here, she’s also serious and I agree.

As you leave a bit of food on your plate, you’ll gain control over your relationship with food, as well as the added bonus of weight loss.

Tip 7: Enjoy the natural pleasure of food.

Lastly, practicing mindful eating means you enjoy the natural pleasure of food.

So often we overeat or undereat (which can lead to eating disorders).

When you become a mindful eater, what you’re doing is not depriving yourself—you’re appreciating food, in the moment, and dare I say it you should enjoy the hell out of it!

Food is a great source of pleasure. You also just want to make sure you’re focusing on the natural, intentional pleasurable experience, and not stuffing your face, hurrying with your food.

If you follow these tips above, you’ll be in good shape!

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A Final Note!

Mindful eating has emotional and physical benefits, such as reducing stress and avoiding weight gain.

But truly what I find to be most beneficial is how much more enjoyable food is when I mindfully eat. My relationship with food is something I appreciate so much more as a mindful eater, and you can have this experience, too, by following the steps above.