Mindful Eating: A Guide to Enjoying Food with Intention

There are many reasons to have a complicated relationship with food. For instance, in our fast-paced world, meals often feel like a race against the clock. Or maybe after indulging in a substantial Thanksgiving feast—with more festivities right around the corner—it might be tempting to view your connection with food as negative. But what if eating could be an act of self-care, a moment to pause and reconnect with yourself? That’s the essence of mindful eating, a practice rooted in paying attention to what you consume, and designed to transform your relationship with food.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is the art of paying full attention to your eating experience. It’s about savoring every bite, appreciating the flavors, and tuning into your body’s hunger and fullness signals, as opposed to eating “mindlessly.” Ever found yourself throwing a meal together, then scarfing it down as quickly as possible because you have things to do? Trust me, I get it. Or maybe you are in a social situation, and conversation distracts you from what you’re ingesting. Well, practicing mindfulness and eating with intention will not only elevate your awareness, but it will greatly improve your meal times and overall health! Because unlike dieting, which focuses on restrictions, mindful eating emphasizes enjoyment, allowing you to eat with purpose rather than habit.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

Incorporating mindfulness into your meals offers a host of benefits:

1. Improved Digestion: Eating slowly allows your body to properly digest food, reducing bloating and discomfort. Eating too quickly has been associated with issues like heartburn, poor nutrition absorption, and unwanted weight gain. Your eating speed can even have a negative effect on your metabolism.

2. Enhanced Enjoyment: You’ll savor the textures, aromas, and flavors, turning meals into a sensory experience. You can be more aware, savoring each mouthful and paying attention to how your body responds.

3. Better Portion Control: Tuning into hunger cues helps prevent overeating. If you take your time with your meal, you are far more likely to be satisfied with a smaller portion. Let’s get a little technical: your stomach needs to send fullness cues to your brain. This process can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes, so if you scarf something down, you are at risk of overeating. We also have hormones in our gut that signal fullness like ghrelin and leptin, and with slower, mindful eating you will increase the release of these hormones, reducing your appetite.

4. Reduced Stress: Mindfulness can transform meals into moments of peace in your day. It gives you a chance to acknowledge and accept your feelings, body sensations, and thoughts. As an added bonus, with mindful eating being a great way to improve your gut, you should see improvement in your mood as well! The gut is directly related to our mood and energy levels, so if your stomach is happy, so is your brain.

By practicing mindfulness when eating, you can establish a deeper connection with food and cultivate a healthier relationship with your body.

Tips for Practicing Mindful Eating

Want to start, but having some trouble deciding how? Here are a few simple steps to help you eat more mindfully:

1. Eliminate Distractions: Turn off the TV and put away your phone. Focus solely on your meal. This does not mean being solitary for every meal to avoid being distracted! You can work on focusing on your food and being together, relishing in each experience.

2. Chew Slowly: A general rule is to aim for 20-30 chews per bite to fully appreciate the texture and flavor. Obviously this all depends on the food’s consistency. No one is expecting you to try “chewing” yogurt 20 or more times. The goal is to break foods down to make its journey to the stomach smoother, giving you time to appreciate the feel in your mouth.

3. Keep a Mindful Eating Journal: Reflect on what you ate, how it made you feel, and your hunger level before and after meals. You can actually find templates online for recording your journey, making it even easier for you to record your experiences. For those looking to dive deeper, consider exploring books on mindful eating to inspire your journey. These resources can provide practical insights and tips for integrating mindfulness into your everyday meals.

4. Engage Your Senses: Literally focus on your five senses when eating. Notice the colors, smells, textures, flavors, and even the sounds your food might make when you eat it. Even before taking the first bite, you can luxuriate in your meal, building anticipation and focusing your awareness. Just like anything, this skill can take practice, so don’t expect to immediately perfect noticing every aspect of a meal. Start small—maybe two or three senses—and build from there.

5. Pause Mid-Meal: Check in with yourself—are you still hungry, or is it time to stop? Take a few breaths, and think of your entire body. Yes, you might want to continue experiencing the flavor, but does your gut actually crave more? How are your emotions towards your meal? Basically, just give yourself a chance to take everything in.

Mindful Eating During the Holidays

The holiday season often feels like a whirlwind of indulgence, but it’s also the perfect time to practice mindful eating. Between festive foods and an abundance of meals spent with loved ones, it might seem difficult to keep track of everything. But mindfulness can actually help you enjoy every moment you spend with friends and family without overdoing it.

And in between the big feasts and celebrations, you can find yourself some healthy holiday snacks to practice your mindfulness. By approaching meals with awareness, you can enjoy happy, healthy holidays without guilt. For example, you can savor Plantiful Kitchen's Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Pecan Frosting, luxuriating in all the senses they awaken while appreciating their benefits: grain and gluten-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly.

Intuitive Eating vs. Mindful Eating

If you have heard of mindful eating, you might have also wondered about intuitive eating. What’s the difference? Well, both of them focus on your relationship with food, encouraging a healthier relationship and building healthier habits. However, while mindful eating focuses on the act of eating, intuitive eating takes a broader approach, encouraging you to listen to your body’s needs and reject external diet culture rules. The two share similarities in promoting awareness and self-care, but mindful eating zeroes in on the eating experience itself. Together, they complement each other beautifully, helping you foster a balanced and joyful relationship with food.

Explore Mindful Eating with Plantiful Kitchen

At Plantiful Kitchen, we’re passionate about helping you enjoy wholesome, delicious food. Whether you’re savoring the best low carb, gluten-free bread for the perfect sandwich, or starting your day with a warm, toasted gluten-free bagel, our products are perfect for practicing mindful eating. Made with natural ingredients and bursting with flavor, they’re a nourishing choice that aligns with your mindful eating goals.

When you start paying attention to how your body is reacting to specific meals, you will find yourself naturally getting more focused on nourishment. If you eat processed food all day, and you remain mindful, you will notice a plethora of problems for your overall health. Or you might find yourself becoming aware that too much gluten can cause digestive issues, headaches, fatigue, and more. You will also notice the specific foods and nutrients that make you feel great. Foods high in fiber, for instance, keeping your gut happy.

That’s why all our gluten-free products are designed to improve your overall health, as well as please all your senses!

Conclusion

Mindful eating is about more than just food; it’s about creating a deeper connection to yourself and your experiences. By embracing mindfulness and making intentional choices—especially during the holidays—you can enjoy food in a way that nourishes both body and soul. With Plantiful Kitchen by your side, your mindful eating journey will be filled with delicious moments to savor.