5 Truths About Mindful Eating

(This article has been updated as of Dec 4, 2020. Covid has now dramatically accelerated the already growing trend toward online wellness coaching and age group-specific guidance on healthy habits. To address these needs directly I have launched a comprehensive online program for Boomers like me with my longtime colleague and favorite healthy eating expert , Anne Moselle, R.D. Check it out here.)

Whether you're looking to lose weight or just make healthier choices, there's a crucial moment after hunger hits that can make or break your mission. Before you start snacking, slow down and consider these thoughts on eating with presence and purpose. You may be amazed at what you discover.

#1 You may actually be just thirsty.

Have a glass of water (maybe with some lemon or lime juice or a slice of orange) or tea first. If you’re still hungry afterward, your body needs energy.

#2 Sensory cues (getting to the restaurant, smelling or seeing food, talking about eating) are not the same as your body requiring nourishment at this moment.

When you’re triggered to eat, think for a moment about the last time you ate, what it was and how much you ate. Given that and how much your body has been moving since then, does it make sense that you would be truly hungry right now? If you’re not certain, remove the cues (or yourself from the cues, if possible) for 15 minutes and then ask yourself the same question again.

#3 Check to see if you feel a sense of urgency about the food you want to eat.

If you do, it could be that your blood sugar is already well below ideal levels. If that’s the case, a little fruit juice or higher sugar and water content, lower fiber fruit like melon, grapes, peaches or plums will help remedy that quickly while you’re deciding what to eat for your next meal. It could also be that you are under the influence of a food-related “scarcity” mentality. If so, think about what will be different for you in terms of mood, sense of reward, entitlement, etc. if you still get to eat something, but not that particular food right now. Feeling slighted? That’s more emotional than physical.

#4 Have you felt a sense of disappointment or self-recrimination after eating this type of food before?

If so, you need to drop the judgment. Guilt associated with any food (be it the choice or the volume) is a trap that creates a brutal “I deserve this/I blew it” self-destructive, self-perpetuating loop that keeps repeating itself until you forgive the perfectly normal impulse. It’s better to understand what’s driving the impulse (see the points above) and then accept that at this moment, you are choosing the benefits and costs of that choice, without regret. Getting off the guilt train will empower you and neutralize the emotional charge that leads to self-sabotage.

#5 Be grateful for your ability to eat when you’re hungry.

Enjoy the choices you’ve made. And be present for every bite. You’ll find that almost all food, when you’ve addressed and corrected the very common problems above, loses incremental appeal with each passing bite, especially if you’re truly attentive to the process and completely in the moment. Why? Because your body only needs so many calories and your stomach can only comfortably accommodate so much food. So, when you take away the mind games and eat from a position of stabilized blood sugar, you’ll gradually lose the urge to continue eating. Going slowly, drinking water before (not during) the meal and taking breaks at least as long as it takes to chew each individual bite between bites are all helpful tactics.

Read more on mindful eating.

Image credit: Isidor Emanuel via Unsplash

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They provide personal training and small group fitness solutions at their studio and a premium, innovative, medically endorsed web-based group coaching wellness program for the over-fifty tribe.