MINDFUL EATING TIPS
How regularly do you eat on the go or when feeling stressed? Have you ever eaten your meal at your desk or watching TV only to feel unsatisfied with no recollection of what you’ve just eaten? How often do you find yourself mindlessly eating snacks whilst scrolling or watching TV to find you’ve finished the packet but remain unsatisfied? Have you ever eaten your food very quickly and suddenly felt overly full 5-10 minutes later?
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating is an approach to food that focuses on being fully present while you eat. It can be a powerful way of increasing awareness around your senses whilst you eat, any thoughts or feelings that arise and becoming intune with physical hunger and satiety cues to guide eating decisions.
What are the benefits?
Often how we eat, not just what we eat can have the most significant impact on our digestion, appetite and digestive symptoms. Eating mindfully has been shown to increase satiety after meals, support digestion, regulate appetite and enhance the experience of eating.
How to eat more mindfully?
Chew your food thoroughly: aiming for 20-30 chews per mouthful not only enables you to savour the flavours, textures and sensations from your food, but allows the enzymes in saliva to start breaking down food and optimising digestion from the start.
Place your knife and fork down between each mouthful: this helps slow down eating and can increase your awareness of hunger and satiety. When our body feels it has eaten enough, a hormone called leptin is released signalling to the brain we’re full which has been shown to take around 20 minutes.
Eat sitting down with minimal distractions: try not to eat whilst on the move, working, watching TV or scrolling. Enjoying your food in the moment whilst seated can help you feel relaxed (needed for optimal digestion) and become more in tune with your hunger and satiety signals too.
N.B. Mindful eating may not be a suitable approach for those with an active eating disorder where increased awareness of eating behaviours may be harmful or detrimental. Please do speak to a professional if you would like support.
