Mindful Eating

 “Moment-to-moment” means the here and now or the present moment. 

For instance, you might have been very hungry 30 minutes ago; however, you realize it was partly because of dehydration and after drinking a tall glass of water, you realize NOW you're only slightly hungry. Being mindful of this new and current physical state, you ultimately eat a smaller, rather than a larger meal that you would have if you focused on how hungry you were 30 minutes ago.

“Purposeful attention" 

means there is an awareness goal or intention. You have a goal to eat when moderately hungry or not hungry enough. To be "without judgment" or non-judgmental includes the other mindful attitudes of self-compassion, kindness, acceptance, patience, joy, and gratitude.

With mindful eating you are in the present moment and aware of physical hunger levels and will start eating at the appropriate time. 

There is a purpose or goal of eating at a certain hunger level and giving full attention to the enjoyment of eating food rather than allowing yourself to be distracted by other activities (e.g., TV, movies, computer, phone, reading and the like). In real life, distractions happen; however, when eating, you are intent on minimizing them as much as possible.

The reason it is difficult to fully taste food when distracted is because the human mind has two separate functions—thinking and awareness (Chosen Bays, 2009). 

When our minds think about the past and the future-even if it is the immediate future—it is not aware of the present moment. It's like a seesaw: when the thinking function is up, the awareness function is down and vice versa. Have you ever been so distracted with other thoughts you don't even remember eating a whole meal? It's like commuting to work-you do it so often that you're on autopilot and able to think and plan several things during the trip to the point you don't actually remember the physical act of driving to get there.

In addition, with mindful eating you are eating to meet your body's physical needs for nourishment and pleasure. 

You meet your physical hunger needs with physical items, known as FOOD. More importantly, you recognize any tendencies to meet emotional and spiritual needs with food and create the space or mindful pause needed to replace it with more appropriate choices.

A mindful pause is simply a space of time that an individual can use to be mindful (to think or to consider) if at that moment food is being eaten to meet an emotional or spiritual need, rather than eaten to satisfy hunger, the primary reason to eat. Having a mindful pause at this time allows the person to stop and consider why they are eating with the goal being to replace eating with a more appropriate choice.

Besides eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied, there is also the goal of feeling better when finished eating rather than feeling deprived or guilty. It's human nature to want something that is pleasurable. Most people don't like to feel deprived and guilty. Normally with a diet, there are rules that need to be followed that create feelings of deprivation and are difficult to maintain long term. When people stop dieting, they usually go to the first thing that is pleasurable: eating the foods they weren't allowed to have. This is normal. 

How to Eat Mindfully

Notice your cravings.

Sit down and minimize distractions with focus on the present moment.

Set a goal satisfaction BEFORE eating.

Check portion sizes and use smaller serving ware.

Create several mindful pauses before, during, and after eating.

Be mindful of your hunger and fullness level before, during, and after eating.

Create your personal “I'm done" signal.

Express mindful attitudes of self-compassion, non-judgment, kindness, patience, joy, and gratitude.

Three Mindful Pause Exercises

1. Pause and feel your inhalation and exhalation for 10-15 seconds. (Niemiec, 2014).

2. Call upon one of your inner strengths to “reframe" the current moment of snacking, of overeating when full, or of blaming self for lack of control. Inner strengths that one can draw upon include a host of characteristics particular to food consumption, such as honesty with self, thinking things through, persistence, courage, care and compassion, and self-awareness of motives. (Niemiec, 2016).

3. Before consuming empty calories in a snack or eating to release nervous energy, you should:

•Pay attention to the food you're about to consume.

• Notice the feeling of it in your hands.

• Notice the texture, the weight, the color.

•Smell the food.

Be keenly aware of the state you are in and ask: Why am I eating at this moment?

Benefits of Mindful Eating

• Dismisses rigid dieting rules. No more calorie/point counting, food exchanges and/or weighing food
• Releases the need to label foods as “good/bad” or to label self as a “good person/bad person” due to a particular food eaten
• •Can complement other diet plans/programs. Once the maintenance stage is reached, mindful eating can sustain healthy weight for the long term
• Eating becomes pleasurable and enjoyable again. Have a healthier relationship to food, mind, and body
• Have more time to find other things in life to enjoy besides eating
• Body resets to a healthy and steady weight. No need to keep three or more different clothes sizes in the closet! No more "yo-yo" weight fluctuations
• Freedom from self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors