Mindful Eating: 5 Simple Tips

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Let me share something personal with you guys: I used to struggle with binge eating. Not just little indulgences every now and then…serious binge eating. Then, one day, I decided that I didn’t want to repeat that toxic cycle anymore. I read two amazing books about mindful eating (1, 2), and learned everything I needed to know. But, that took a lot of time! Obviously, you’re here because you just want to get down to the nitty gritty, and that’s what I’m giving you! Here are 5 simple tips for mindful eating.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindfulness: 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.

Mindful eating, simply put, is the act of using mindfulness practices while eating. This includes being in the present moment and acknowledging all of your senses while carefully, slowly, and deliberately eating. In this way, eating becomes a mindful experience. As a meditative practice, mindfulness helps you slow down and acknowledge your feelings. Mindful eating is the same practice; you just do it while eating.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

When you eat mindfully, you force yourself to slow down, focus, and concentrate. For me, mindful eating helped me stop my cycle of binge eating. But, other benefits include:

• You learn to recognize your body’s signals for hunger and fullness.
• You learn to appreciate your meals.
• You can build a healthier relationship with food as you learn to acknowledge and deal with feelings around eating habits and specific foods.
• Practicing mindfulness reduces stress.
• By eating slower and more deliberately, you learn to stop yourself from over or undereating.
• You learn to allow cravings to pass.

5 Simple Mindful Eating Tips

In order to become a mindful eater, one must practice. Just as with mindfulness meditation, you can’t just sit down and expect to be an expert. Trust me, it is harder than you think! But, here are 5 things you can do to practice mindful eating.

1. Slow down.

I’m the first to admit, I struggle with this. Sometimes, I let myself get so hungry that by the time I start eating, I’m so excited that I devour an entire plate of food in six minutes. (Don’t judge me.) But, my first mindful eating tip is to slow down. Experience every moment, and make each bite deliberate. I know it sounds tedious, but it’s important! Some people like to count their number of chews. Or, if you’re a fast eater like me, you can set a timer for yourself as a challenge to eat slower. Whatever it takes, just eat slower.

2. Eliminate distractions.

We’ve all been here: snacking on chips while watching Netflix, and suddenly, you’re at the bottom of the bag. This is the exact opposite of eating mindfully! That’s why my next tip is to eliminate distractions. I’m talking about phones, TV, and even other people. Of course, this isn’t always possible (or fun), but try to do it as much as possible. Or maybe start with snacks and then move into meals. Once you begin to eliminate those distractions, it’ll be easier to do tip #3.

3. Check in with your body.

Checking in with your body is one of the most important aspects of mindful eating because it enables you to listen to your body’s hunger cues. Are you still hungry? Are you satisfied? Are you stuffed? If you don’t pause to listen for these cues, it is much easier to overeat. When you check in with your body, you can also notice how certain foods make you feel. For example, I know that chickpeas make me bloated, Oreos give me acid reflux, and bananas make me feel happy and energized. You can learn so much about your relationship with different foods if you just pause and check in with your body!

4. Tap in to all 5 senses.

People usually associate eating with one, maybe two senses: taste and smell, but, if you want to eat more mindfully, practice tapping in to all five senses.

• Sight: Before eating, pause and look at your food. What colors, shapes, or textures do you see? Which foods, shapes or colors are your eyes drawn to? Is it plated in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, or does it look like a regular plate? Take a minute to pause and see.
• Smell: Close your eyes, and smell your food. Does anything smell familiar or bring back special memories? Can you pinpoint specific scents? Are there any smells you aren’t particularly fond of? Pause, and take a big smell in. Let the scents fill your mind, and find peace.
• Touch: When you pick up your plate or bowl, what do you feel? Is it hot or cold? Heavy or light? If you’re eating something that you pick up with your hands, notice the texture and temperature. Is it smooth? Does it have ridges? Is it soft? Hard? Squishy? Take the time to notice these things.
• Taste: Finally! The best part of eating–taste! Notice how your food feels as it touches your teeth and tongue. What flavors do you taste first? Chew slowly, taking a lot of bites. Do you notice any changes in texture or flavor as you taste the food? Take time to pause before you take your next bite. What flavors still linger in your mouth? Really taste and be intentional.
• Hearing: Okay, maybe this isn’t actually hearing, but after eating, listen to your body. Do you hear your stomach grumbling? Did you overeat or feel stuffed? Are you still hungry and need more? Or are you just thirsty? Listening to your body may not always involve your ears, but it is still important.

5. Make mindfulness a habit.

Even though there are only five tips here, mindful eating is intimidating, and it can be difficult to start. But, building a habit requires starting small. Maybe, you start incorporating these habits once or twice a week. Or, maybe you start with just one meal or only snacks. Maybe you only use two of these tips to start and then build up to all of them. Either way, starting small is better than not starting at all. Be patient with yourself as you learn this new skill, and make the experience your own! Before you know it, you’ll be an expert mindful eater!

Practicing mindfulness has so many benefits! But, it is a daunting task. Remember to go easy on yourself, keep a positive attitude, and never stop trying. If you want to recognize your body’s hunger cues, have a better relationship with food, and have a stronger connection to yourself, give mindful eating a try. I promise, you won’t regret it.