Mindfulness

How to Get More Enjoyment From Eating

Calories and nutrients matter, but so does the way you eat. Try mindful eating.

Posted July 31, 2024 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D.

Key points

We sometimes act mindfully and sometimes mindlessly; eating is often mindless, automatic, or habit-driven.
Mindful eating is not difficult; there are just a few simple steps.
Mindful eating is its own reward and can be tailored to help with anyone's food and weight-related goals.

Having recently written about the ways that stress, eating, and weight-regulation influence one-another, I thought I would address a specific strategy for coping with the problems that those interactions can create. More than that, this is actually something you will enjoy.

You are probably familiar with the term mindfulness, most likely in connection with mindful meditation techniques. These are currently very popular in clinical practice and research, and among the lay public.

Mindfulness and Mindlessness

The concept and techniques of mindful eating may be less familiar. Whereas mindfulness meditation involves setting aside time for an activity, meditation, that is not generally part of our daily routine unless we make it so, mindful eating involves an essential, everyday activity. So it is not a matter of adding something to what we normally do, it involves transforming the way we do something we must do and should enjoy doing. It may also have health benefits.

The premise is that much of the time, eating is mindless. The mindful-mindless distinction is complex. But, put simply, mindfulness involves being present in the moment and aware of our surroundings, what we see and hear, what we are doing, what we are thinking and feeling, and what is going on in our body. All from the perspective of a non-judgmental observer. That is a vast oversimplification but should do for now to draw the contrast with mindlessness. To learn mindfulness meditation requires an investment of time and effort.

By contrast, it is easy to switch from mindless eating to mindful eating. Terms that capture aspects of mindlessness include automatic and habitual. This describes how we often eat. Selecting something to eat, whether at a restaurant, through a delivery service, or deciding what to prepare or heat up ourselves, often involves little thought. Preparation may be rote or entirely absent. And, both preparation and eating may be just one activity among several we perform simultaneously as we scroll through our phone, watch the news or a TV program, and/or think about work.

Why Eat Mindfully?

In addition to greater enjoyment, possible benefits of eating more mindfully are improved weight management, reduced binge eating and emotional eating, better digestion, and more effective management of glucose metabolism.

An Illustration and Breakdown of Key Elements of Mindful Eating

Rather than reading more about what mindful eating is like, at this point, check out a 5-minute video demonstration:

To add a little more, Lilian Cheung, in her book, "Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life," provides this outline:

Source: Pexels / Wesley Davi

Honor the food: What is it? Where did it come from? Who produced it? How was it produced? How was it prepared?
Engage all your senses: How does it taste? What is the aroma like? Does the flavor change as you move it around on your tongue? What is the texture? Is it hot, warm, cool, cold? What sounds does it make as you cut, fork, or spoon it?
Be mindful of portion sizes: How much will you eat? What do you need? What do you want? What fills the plate? How large is the plate? When will you stop eating? Why?
Chew your food: How does the flavor change as you do so? What is the texture like? How does it sound as you chew?
Eat slowly: Chew thoroughly before swallowing so you enjoy all the flavors and textures. Take time between bites and between swallows. Follow the changing sensations as the food goes down and note how it feels as your stomach is filled.
Do not skip meals: When do you eat? Why are you eating now? Are you hungry? Is it because of the time of day? Because you are bored? Did you have a craving? Or are you only eating now because you can afford to take a break from work?
Eat plant-based foods: Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables? Is it processed? What is in it aside from the main ingredient?

Tailor It To Your Goals and Preferences and Give it a Try

These prompts can be modified to suit your goals and needs, whether you are vegan or omnivorous, seeking to gain, lose, or maintain weight, following health-related or religious dietary restrictions, and so forth.

If you engage in mindful eating I hope it whets your appetite for learning more about mindfulness.

It can be annoying to learn that there is one more thing you could be doing differently to improve your health and quality of life. But, you have to eat. And mindful eating really does make food more enjoyable. It's worth a try.

References

Hanh, T. N., & Cheung, L. (2011). Savor: Mindful eating, mindful life (p. 304). San Francisco: HarperOne.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York: Delacorte.

Kristeller, J. L., & Epel, E. (2014). Mindful eating and mindless eating: The science and the practice. The Wiley Blackwell handbook of mindfulness, 913-933.