Want to know the easiest way to enjoy your food more AND avoid over eating?
It may sound like it wouldn’t help, but I’ve found eating mindfully makes a world of difference.
It takes some practice but it’s a habit I highly recommend you experiment with.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- What is Mindful Eating?
- How Mindful Eating Can Help
- How to Start Eating Mindfully
What is Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating is the practice of focusing on the act of eating while you are eating.
It’s all about paying attention to each bite rather than devouring your meal on autopilot.
How Mindful Eating Can Help
By slowing down and really focusing on my food I find I actually enjoy my meals more.
Plus I am more likely to stop eating at the sweet spot of when I am satisfied but not over-stuffed.
It helps me feel more in control.
And more relaxed at meal times.
Chewing thoroughly also helps with digestion.
How to Start Eating Mindfully
Step 1. Set your expectations.
Like meditation, eating mindfully is a practice.
So don’t expect to be able to eat every meal perfectly mindfully from the beginning.
It’s a habit that will take time to develop.
There are still some meals where I completely forget to eat mindfully and that’s OK.
I don’t get frustrated because I know it’s a practice.
I just remind myself to go back to mindfulness next meal.
Step 2. Remove distractions.
You can’t focus on your meal if you’re checking email or watching TV.
Turn off your devices and sit down at a table so you are comfortable. This goes for snacks too.
If I’m having a snack I try and serve it out into a bowl / plate and sit down to eat. Doesn’t always happen but I’m working on it!
Step 3. Appreciate the appearance.
Have a good look at your food.
What looks appealing? Which bite are you excited about starting with?
Step 4. Focus on chewing.
Put down your cutlery between bites and pay attention to how the food feels in your mouth.
When you feel the urge to swallow, chew a few more times to slow down the process.
If you like you can count the number of times you chew.
But I find this takes away from enjoying how the food feels in my mouth. So I prefer to just focus on awareness.
However the counting option for a few mouthfuls can be helpful to set your pace.
Step 5. Wait.
Wait before there is no more food in your mouth before loading up your fork for the next mouthful.
When you pick up your fork, check that your mouth is empty.
If it’s not, put the fork back down and focus on chewing (and enjoying).
Step 6. Repeat
Keep focusing on chewing and taking each bite one step at a time.
Step 7. Stop
Keep eating until you feel satisfied.
I find it helpful to have a mental ‘check in’ with my hunger meter to figure out when to stop.
I do this by gently observing how I feel.
The key is not to just be aware but not obsess.
Hunger and fullness are complicated. It’s not just whether your stomach feels stretched.
It’s in your brain as well
Again this is a practice, you’ll get better with time.
I’m still working on it!
SUMMARY
Here’s what we’ve covered:
- Mindful eating is the easiest way I’ve found to enjoy your food more AND avoid over eating.
- To get started remove distractions, sit at a table, chew thoroughly, wait until your mouth is empty before loading up your fork for the next bite. Repeat until you are satisfied.
ACTIVITY
Choose a meal to start eating mindfully, preferably one where you can be on your own.
Or you could enlist your partner / families support to do it together.
Set a reminder on your phone that you’re going to practice eating mindfully for that meal.
Follow the steps above.
LEARN MORE
If you’d like more help with Mindful Eating, my friend Darya Rose has a free 5-day email course that’s super helpful. Signup for free over here.
Have fun eating mindfully!
With love
Jules x
ps. Share your insights in the comments below. The Simple Meal Plans community is here to help you!
This webinar had me reflect upon a few new things to refine my own mindful eating process.
My journey of conscious eating has been incredibly rewarding.
I’ve gotten everything nasty / artificial / unhealthy out of my diet. At this point, I basically eat only vegetables, beef and seafood, herbs, spices and olive oil. Most food is cooked by steaming.
I know what almost everything does to my body, whether that is soy, cashew nuts, sugar, salt, gluten, dairy, tomatoes, carbs, eggs, soy sauce, ‘healthy’ junk food… basically everything, on an individualised basis. Nothing can hide in my diet… the effect of cashew nuts on my body can’t hide in a garnish or a curry. To be honest, the impact on my body of a number of those foods like cashews, eggs, and soy milk really shocked me.
The benefits are incredible.
My body feels amazing. I don’t bloat after meals, in fact I feel satisfied (but not heavy) and I could easily eat more without feeling heavy, but I know when I’ve had enough. I can walk into a supermarket and not be tempted in the slightest by the majority of foods there, because I know what they do to my body, and I don’t want to feel like that. I no longer have the struggle most people do with those foods, and that I did for a very long time.
The best part is that I’ve gotten out of a cycle I’ve been in, essentially since birth… which is constantly in a cycle of eating foods that don’t work for my body, feeling how bad that is (bloated, heavy, tired) and then the compulsion to eat more of that food (bad food seems to want more of itself) along with the desire to bury how I feel with more food or something sweet or the need to fast to try get out of that heavy feeling. And then doing the same the next day, or the day after. Add to that the exhaustion of the mental battle of fighting with those foods that I know don’t work in my body, but my body seemed compulsed to eat.
I’ve been in that cycle, literally every day for decades… the up and downs of it, essentially the same as being on a sugar cycle, but with many foods in my diet that were impacting me to push me out of a balanced, harmonious state of well-being.
Even though there are still things in my approach that I’m refining, I’m no longer in that cycle, and it is one of the most liberating things I’ve ever done.
I like your comment Jules about it is a ‘process’ and not get hung-up about doing it perfectly. What I find useful is to on occasion count 20 chews before swallowing. This helps me focus on the actual food. I aim to do this at least a couple of times each meal.
Love the idea of counting your chews for a few mouthfuls each meal Julie!
Am going to try it myself at lunch 🙂
Thank you love when we’re all learning from each other
Jx
Thank you. This was very helpful. I’m looking forward to trying to eat more mindfully. I hope I can get my husband on board. At the end of a meal we often comment that we ate too fast.
Every now and again I remember to try to eat mindfully. It is definitely difficult. And the hardest part is knowing I’m full. It’s an interesting thing to learn in your old age, but I’m finding that it is possible to know when I really don’t want to eat any more. I really like the comment about the “natural pause”. I’ve actually encountered that, especially when I’m very tired. I’ll have to pay more attention to that.
Yes it’s a skill we can develop at any ages Susan!
Let me know how you get on with the pause 🙂
It can be so hard to eat mindfully when one has a limited time for a meal or takes much longer to eat than other dining companions. I’m working on it, but finding it to be a challenge.
You know it’s something I think of as a ‘practice’ Sandy – similar to meditation – something to work on without the expectation of getting it perfect 🙂
Just the fact that you’re trying and paying attention is huge!
Jx
step 7 is the hardest
i’m able to overeat mindfully and i’m always the last one eating
but as you say it : i’m working on it
all my best wishes
birgit
Lovely to hear from you Birgit!
Yes stopping is the tricky bit. I’ve been focusing on actually saying to myself ‘I stop when I’ve had enough’ and ‘I don’t struggle with stopping’ and it really helps me to know when I’m satisfied and stop eating easily.
I know this mindset stuff can feel like it won’t make a difference but I’m always amazed how powerful it can be.
Hope that helps!
Jx
And
I really struggled with ‘stopping when I’ve had enough’. Don’t they also say it takes up to 20 minutes for the brain to recognise the stomach is full?
What helped me was a dietician’s suggestion to look out for the ‘natural pause’ – the point at which I’ve had a bit to eat and I seem to slow down, pause, and/or take a small breath. I’m not feeling physically full, but my brain is smarter than I am – if I’m being mindful, I notice this ‘pause for breath’, and if I listen to it and stop eating, it works!
I tell myself I can always go back for more in 20 minutes. I rarely need to do this.
Thanks for sharing your idea of the ‘pause’ Jacqueline!
Is it working for you?
Jx