Mindful eating: how to slow down and enjoy your food

It takes around 20 minutes for your body to signal to your brain that you're full. So if you finish your meal before then, you may miss the cues that tell you you've had enough.

One effective way to slow down your eating is by practising mindful eating.

What is mindful eating?

Mindful eating means paying close attention to your hunger cues and making thoughtful choices about food. It helps you slow down, enjoy each bite, and notice habits - such as eating on autopilot - that might not be healthy.

It also encourages you to pay attention to any emotions that arise while you are eating, noticing them without judgement or the need to change them. This can help you gain a clearer understanding of your relationship with food.

Eloise Skinner, a psychotherapist based in London, UK explains that mindful eating involves applying mindfulness techniques to the experience of eating and even to preparing food.

Is mindful eating good for weight loss?

Mindful eating encourages you to slow down and pay close attention to your hunger cues - especially the signals that tell you you're full. Because of this, it can help people who tend to overeat become more satisfied with eating just the right amount, rather than too much.

Skinner says this practice can support weight loss by helping people who feel they lack focus or intention while eating - or who often eat in a distracted manner.

"Mindful eating helps to bring a greater quality of intention to the act of eating," she explains. "So it can help you recognise things like hunger and fullness cues with more awareness."

How to practice mindful eating

One common way to practice mindful eating is to pause before eating to fully observe the experience.

Skinner explains this could mean taking a moment to notice the appearance, smell and texture of your food. You may also tune in to your body to check with feelings of hunger or fullness.

The goal is to bring full awareness to the present moment before beginning to eat.

"Once you begin, a challenge could be to stay focused on what you're eating," she advises. "This includes using your senses, heightened observation or descriptive language, and to periodically check in with your hunger and satisfaction cues as you continue."

What else can mindful eating help with?

Aside from helping you maintain a healthy weight, incorporating mindful practices into your mealtime routine can offer a range of other health benefits.

"Mindful eating can result in a feeling of peace and presence around mealtimes," says Skinner. "It can also help you have a deeper appreciation for your food.

"The additional time you take to slow down means you might notice new things about your food - or about your tastes and preferences. It may allow you to become more discerning around the way we eat and choose food."

How to start mindful eating

Adopting a new eating style that encourages you to pause, slow down, and reflect - especially with a busy lifestyle - can feel challenging at first.

Skinner explains that this can be especially true if you’re accustomed to eating while distracted or multitasking.

"It's sometimes hard for people to stay committed to the practice during these moments," she says. "This is because many of the benefits of mindfulness - particularly mindful eating - take a long time to develop."

Though it takes effort, mindful eating can help you develop a healthier, more positive relationship with food. Since everyone is different, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach - sometimes targeted guidance from a health professional is needed for weight loss or changing eating habits. Still, paying attention to your hunger cues and being mindful of how much, why, and what you eat is always a valuable practice.

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