Mindful Eating: How to Slow Down?

Before we work on being mindful while eating, it helps to first notice what is actually making us want to eat.

The key is awareness.

Mindful eating is about paying attention to our experience, moment by moment.

In her book Mindful Eating, Jan Chozen Bays, MD, describes different types of hunger that can influence the way we eat.

Perhaps you will recognize some of your own habits here.

And that is really the first step.

We cannot change a habit we don’t notice.

1. Eye hunger

Have you ever finished a good dinner at a restaurant, felt completely satisfied, and then the waiter arrives with a tray of beautiful desserts?

Suddenly you are hungry again.

Or at least your eyes are.

We often decide what and how much we want to eat based simply on what we see.

The eyes can send a very convincing message to the brain:

“I want that!”

Even when the stomach is not hungry at all.

One simple strategy is delayed satisfaction.

If you see that piece of cake and really want it, pause.

Give yourself 10 or 15 minutes.

If you still want it afterwards, enjoy it.

The same happens when grocery shopping.

Have you ever gone into a shop for three things and walked out with a bag full of food you never planned to buy?

A shopping list helps.

But awareness helps even more.

2. Stomach hunger

This is the hunger we usually recognize most easily.

Your stomach feels empty.

Maybe it growls.

You feel that very familiar physical sensation telling you it is time to eat.

The body is quite wise when we actually listen to it.

The challenge is that we often eat so quickly that we don’t notice the signals telling us when the stomach has had enough.

This is where slowing down can make a big difference.

Pause during your meal.

Notice your body.

Are you still hungry?

Are you pleasantly full?

Or have you already moved into that uncomfortable feeling of being overfull?

Sometimes the body has already answered before the mind catches up.

3. Mind hunger

Mind hunger is all about thoughts.

It likes rules.

“This food is good.”

“That food is bad.”

“I should eat more protein.”

“I shouldn’t eat this.”

The mind loves dividing things into right and wrong, good and bad, should and shouldn’t.

And all these rules around food can sometimes make eating much more complicated than it needs to be.

Before you eat, pause for a moment.

Look at the food and notice what your mind is saying about it.

You don’t need to fight those thoughts.

Just notice them.

Then gently bring your attention back to your body, your mouth, your stomach and the actual experience of eating.

You might even ask yourself:

Where did this rule about food come from?

4. Nose hunger

Have you ever walked past a bakery and suddenly thought:

“Ohhh… I smell cinnamon rolls.”

Or pizza.

Or freshly baked bread.

And suddenly you want some.

Smell has a powerful connection to memory and desire.

Certain smells can immediately make us want food, even when we weren’t thinking about eating five seconds earlier.

Again, there is nothing wrong with wanting it.

Mindfulness is simply noticing what is happening before automatically following the impulse.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself:

On a scale from 1 to 10, how physically hungry am I right now?

Maybe you really are hungry.

Or maybe it is simply your nose enjoying the smell.

5. Emotional hunger

This one is perhaps the most interesting.

Food is connected to so many emotions and memories.

Maybe it is your mother’s cookies.

A particular meal from childhood.

Strawberries dipped in chocolate that remind you of someone you loved.

Or the food you reach for after a difficult day because somehow it makes everything feel a little softer.

Sometimes we are not hungry for food at all.

We are hungry for comfort.

For rest.

For connection.

For love.

You may start recognizing your own emotional-hunger foods simply by noticing what you reach for when you are stressed, sad, lonely or exhausted.

The next time that urge appears, pause.

Notice the emotion first.

Ask yourself:

What do I actually need right now?

Sometimes you will still choose to eat — and that is absolutely okay.

But sometimes you may realize that food is not really what you were looking for.

Try this at your next meal

Before you start eating, pause for just a few seconds.

Look at your food.

Notice the colours and smell.

Take one slow breath.

Then ask yourself:

How hungry am I right now, from 1 to 10?

Take your first bite slowly.

Notice the taste, texture and temperature.

Then, about halfway through your meal, pause again.

Put your fork down for a moment and ask:

Am I still hungry, or am I already satisfied?

You do not need to change what you eat.

You do not need to eat perfectly.

The practice is simply to notice.

That small pause can tell you a lot.

It just takes a moment to connect with your body.

Then ask yourself:

Which part of me is hungry right now?

And what story is my mind telling me?

And if you decide to eat, eat.

But enjoy it slowly.

Be there for it.

That is mindful eating :)

If you're interested in bringing more mindfulness into your everyday life, you can learn more about my approach to mindfulness and therapy.