5 Mindful eating tips for weight loss

Brenda Braslow, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

We live in a fast-paced society and can easily find ourselves rushing through meals and snacks without even tasting our food. Discover the benefits of mindful eating so you can truly enjoy food and lose weight while you are at it!

Benefits of mindful eating

A growing body of research shows that mindful eating can help with weight loss, binge eating, and lead to healthier eating.

You can reconnect with true hunger and satiety. When you are mindful, you more easily recognize when you are physically hungry and also when you are comfortably full rather than miserably stuffed.
You learn to eat when you are actually hungry instead of for other reasons, such as boredom, stress, or just because the person next to you is eating.
You recognize external triggers for eating, such as emotions, food in visible sight, or the TV.
You more fully appreciate and savor food with gratitude and enjoyment.
It shifts you to a more centered approach to eating, where you are fully present and in charge of your actions rather than reacting to your environment.

5 Mindful eating tips for weight loss

1. Tune into physical hunger and satiety cues

It is very common for people who struggle with food to be out of tune with physical hunger.
Pay attention to hunger signals, such as stomach pangs, growling or rumbling, and feelings of weakness or lightheadedness.
Learn to recognize when you feel comfortably satisfied. This occurs before your stomach feels stretched or uncomfortable.

2. Breathe and Relax

Take deep breaths before starting to eat and between bites. This helps you slow down and center yourself. Create a relaxing atmosphere. Perhaps light a candle, set the table, and play soft music. Put your phone down and unplug from your devices.

3. Chew slowly

Digestion starts in the mouth with chewing. Savor the food by moving it around the mouth, and chew well to release the flavors.
It helps to remember that it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell your brain it is full. Slowing down helps you eat a reasonable amount of food within that 20 minutes.

4. Take small bites

Cut your food into smaller pieces, and fill your fork or spoon less full. Consider using a smaller fork or spoon, or use chopsticks.

5. Appreciate food

Notice if the food is sweet, spicy, tart, or aromatic. Is it creamy, crunchy, or chewy? Tune in and savor it.
Think about all the work involved in getting the food to the table, from growing it to producing it and preparing it. Be grateful that you have abundant and delicious food available to you.

If mindful eating is new to you, try practicing these mindful eating tips for weight loss, one meal per day.