What Is Mindful Eating?

 

Are you practicing mindful eating to help you achieve your weight goals?

Mindful eating is the practice of concentrating on the entire process of eating, from the foods you’re consuming to every bite you take. In essence, mindful eaters are able to become aware of the body’s hunger and satisfaction and can use these cues to make healthier choices.

Let’s explore the specifics of mindful eating and how this practice can help you reach your weight loss goals:

What is Mindful Eating?

Weight gain can become an issue for many reasons, but often it’s related to poor eating habits. Maybe it’s because you’re not aware of the nutritional value of the foods you eat. Maybe it’s because you’ve developed habits that are hard to break, such as eating when you’re bored or lonely. 

Whatever the reason, mindfulness helps you to take back control of your eating habits.

Mindful eating encourages you to focus on what you’re eating, how you’re consuming it, and what each bite means for your health. It reshapes the way you think about food’s role in your life, helping you to connect good food choices with their impact on your health. When you consider food’s big picture role, you’re better able to make the right choices that work for your health, not against it.

 

Benefits of Mindfulness During Mealtime

Mindfulness is all about awareness. You’re fully immersed in the moment, giving thought to what you’re doing. Applying mindfulness to meals can help you strengthen your relationship with food by making you aware of what and how you’re eating.

You may feel happier with your food choices when you think about where your food comes from (e.g. farm vs factory) and can identify and eliminate harmful eating behaviors.

As a result, you can expect to not only experience weight loss, but also develop long-term results. Your eating behaviors shift with mindfulness, giving you a better chance to keep off the weight you lose.

 

The Do’s and Don’ts of Mindful Eating

If you want to pursue mindful eating as part of your weight loss program, there are a few things you’ll want to prioritize or avoid for the best results:

Do’s

  • Listen to your body and stop eating when you are full.
  • Only eat when your body tells you to eat (e.g. low energy, stomach growling)
  • Eat only nutritious foods
  • Eat with others at set meal times
  • When you’re eating, focus only on eating
  • Create a bariatric friendly meal plan

Don’ts

  • Don’t ignore your body’s signals
  • Don’t try to eat everything on your plate if you’re feeling full
  • Avoid foods that are emotionally comforting but offer little or no nutritional value
  • Don’t eat alone at random times
  • Avoid multitasking when eating
  • Don’t eat out of boredom or sadness

 

Can mindful eating help you reach your weight loss goals? It might not be enough on its own, but it can be a valuable component to your weight loss plan that will bring you closer to your ideal weight. Try it and see how it changes your thoughts about eating.

 

For more healthy tips and tricks, head back to the blog.

 

 

Weight Loss & Nutrition Journal

More information on medical weight loss diets such as diabetic and bariatric diets.

Types of Bariatric Surgery: Comparing Weight-loss Surgery Options
Types of Bariatric Surgery
March 16, 2024

Types of Bariatric Surgery: Comparing Weight-loss Surgery Options

Best Portion Control Foods and Tips for Effective Weight Loss
Best Portion Control Foods For Weight Loss
March 4, 2024

Best Portion Control Foods and Tips for Effective Weight Loss

What's Really In Your Fast Food Buns?
fast food burger buns ingredients
February 28, 2024

What's Really In Your Fast Food Buns?

The Truth About High-Fructose Corn Syrup
High Fructose Corn Syrup: What It Means To Your Health
February 27, 2024

The Truth About High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Best Weight Loss Protein Shakes: Our Top 3 Picks + Expert Tips
Best Weight Loss Protein Shakes
February 26, 2024

Best Weight Loss Protein Shakes: Our Top 3 Picks + Expert Tips

My 10 Favorite Snacks After Having Gastric Sleeve Surgery
The Best Snacks After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
February 19, 2024

My 10 Favorite Snacks After Having Gastric Sleeve Surgery

5 Health Benefits of Greek Yogurt
The Benefits of Greek Yogurt
February 15, 2024

5 Health Benefits of Greek Yogurt

The Benefits of Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
The Benefits of Bariatric Surgery
February 15, 2024

The Benefits of Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery

The Best Diet Plan to Follow Using GLP-1's: Optimizing Your with GLP-1 Medications
GLP-1 Medication Diet Plan
February 14, 2024

The Best Diet Plan to Follow Using GLP-1's: Optimizing Your with GLP-1 Medications

What is the Safest Bariatric Surgery? Sleeve Gastrectomy vs Gastric Bypass
What is the Safest Bariatric Surgery?
February 10, 2024

What is the Safest Bariatric Surgery? Sleeve Gastrectomy vs Gastric Bypass