What is mindful eating?
To get to know how your body really reacts to food, you first need to listen mindfully. This includes being aware of what’s happening inside your body, inside your mind, and in the world all around you as you eat. It might involve paying attention to the entire timeline of eating: where your food comes from, how it is prepared, and how it is digested. And it might involve paying attention to the dynamic process of eating—for example, what changes occur in your body when you eat a particular food, a particular amount of food, or a food prepared in a particular way.
When you fully listen to your body’s reactions to food, you pay attention not only to your five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, sound—but also to subtler bodily sensations, emotions, and food triggers. By honing this type of awareness, you can discover how different foods impact your body, mind, and day-to-day experiences.
You might discover that a certain food always makes you groggy and that another food energizes you. Or you might realize that you only eat a particular food when you’re anxious or only overeat when you’re sad. The goal is simply to listen, learn, and then take actions that better support the body’s needs.
If you are able to fully embrace mindful eating—becoming aware and accepting of your relationship with food—it can become a superpower. Try these seven strategies to learn how to listen to your body.
What is mindful eating?
To get to know how your body really reacts to food, you first need to listen mindfully. This includes being aware of what’s happening inside your body, inside your mind, and in the world all around you as you eat. It might involve paying attention to the entire timeline of eating: where your food comes from, how it is prepared, and how it is digested. And it might involve paying attention to the dynamic process of eating—for example, what changes occur in your body when you eat a particular food, a particular amount of food, or a food prepared in a particular way.
When you fully listen to your body’s reactions to food, you pay attention not only to your five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, sound—but also to subtler bodily sensations, emotions, and food triggers. By honing this type of awareness, you can discover how different foods impact your body, mind, and day-to-day experiences.
You might discover that a certain food always makes you groggy and that another food energizes you. Or you might realize that you only eat a particular food when you’re anxious or only overeat when you’re sad. The goal is simply to listen, learn, and then take actions that better support the body’s needs.
If you are able to fully embrace mindful eating—becoming aware and accepting of your relationship with food—it can become a superpower. Try these seven strategies to learn how to listen to your body.