What is Mindful Eating?
Abigail Draper PhD RPsych
For many, eating has become a mindless activity that induces guilt rather than a natural, healthy, and pleasurable activity. Mindless eating involves:
- Eating when you are too full, and then feeling guilty
- Eating for emotional reasons such as stress or anxiety
- Grazing on food without thinking about it
- Mindlessly snacking in front of the tv
- Skipping meals and ignoring hunger signals
In contrast to mindless eating, mindful eating is a mindfulness practice which is a powerful tool for developing a healthier relationship with food. Mindful eating is not a diet. There are no menus or recipes. Mindful eating is eating with intention and attention:
- It involves eating with the intention of caring for yourself
- It involves being more aware of your eating habits, the sensations you experience when you eat and the thoughts and emotions you have about food.
Holistic Health Calgary
Many of those who struggle with food respond mindlessly to their unrecognised triggers, thoughts and feelings. Most often, the triggers that prompt overeating are unconscious processes that have been repeated for years. People act without realising it. Since people eat for reasons other than physical hunger, changing behaviour involves first asking the question “Why do I eat?”. This involves exploring triggers such as physical hunger, boredom, stress or fatigue. In the mindful eating cycle developed by Michelle May MD, further questions are asked to encourage clients to be more aware of the factors guiding their eating decisions. These include questions such as:
- “When do I eat?” The answer may depend on the clock, physical hunger cues or emotions.
- “What do I eat?” This questions examines the factors that people consider when choosing food, such as convenience, taste, comfort, and nutrition.
- “How do I eat?” Eating can be rushed, mindless, distracted or secretive.
- “How much so I eat?” Quantity may be decided by physical fullness cues, package size, or habit.
- “Where do I invest my energy?” Eating may be invigorating, cause sluggishness, or result in guilt and shame.
“Asking “Am I hungry?” puts a pause between the trigger and a response,” May says. “That gap breaks us out of ineffective, habitual patterns and gives us an opportunity to change old behaviours”. A number of programs have adopted mindful eating to treat eating disorders such as binge eating, type 2 diabetes, and weight loss. Studies reveal that eating mindfully reduces binge eating, improves depression, can result in weight loss, enhances glycemic control and lowers cortisol levels while improving inflammatory markers. One such study examined mindful eating in restaurants and revealed a significant reduction in weight, calories consumer, fat intake as well as an increase in self-confidence among subjects who participated in a six-week mindful eating program. Mindful eating continues to gain widespread support to promote weight control, improve eating behaviours, prevent chronic disease, and foster a healthy relationship with food.
Eat a Food Mindfully
Take a raisin, grape, strawberry, piece of cheese or chocolate. Observe the appearance and texture. Is there an aroma? What kind of changes do you notice in your body as you observe the food? Next, place a small amount of the food in your mouth and do not chew it. After 30 seconds, start chewing. Observe what you notice about the favour or texture before you started chewing and after you started chewing. How does this compare with your typical experience of eating?
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Resources
Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat by Michelle May, MD
Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food by Susan Albers, PsyD, and Lilian Cheung, DSc, RD
Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food by Jan Cozen Bays, MD