What Is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is when a person is focused on what they are eating. By doing this the person becomes more aware and in-tuned with their bodies, letting them eat with no fear of judgment. “Mindful eating can be used to describe non-judgemental awareness of physical and emotional sensations while eating or in a food-related environment” (Framson et al., 2009)

A way to practice mindful eating is to listen to your body, slow down and use a food diary.

A titled “Savory Every Bite: Mindful Ways to Eat, Love your Body and Lives with Joy.” by Rossy, Lynn gave us an acronym,BASICS, and this helps on what we can do before, during and after eating. Let's go through it:

B= Breathe and Belly Check Before you Eat: Before eating, take five deep breaths and feel the sensations for physical hunger.

A=Assess your Food: Look thoroughly at your food

S=Slow down: Slowing down in eating can help with being aware on when to stop eating and lets you enjoy and savor your food more

I= Investigate you hunger throughout the meal: “Give yourself permission to stop or to continue eating based on awareness of your hunger and satiety cues” (Lynn, 2021,p.26)

C=Chew your Food Thoroughly: Chewing thoroughly will not only satisfy the sensations but also let the body will process it more efficiently and obtain the nutrition values

S=Savor Your Food: Its a combination of 1) taking time to choose food that you really like and satisfy you right now. 2) Picking food that honors your body and taste buds finally 3) being present for the experience of eating.

A food diary can help you track down the foods you have been eating, but also should let you express your feelings on how you felt while eating.

References:

Framson, C., Kristal, A. R., Schenk, J. M., Littman, A. J., Zeliadt, S., & Benitez, D. (2009). Development and Validation of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire. Journal of the American Dietetic Association., 109(8), 1439–1444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2009.05.006

Lynn Rossy. (2022). Savor Every Bite : Mindful Ways to Eat, Love Your Body, and Live with Joy. New Harbinger Publications.