Mindful eating has become a popular concept, but many people don't really know what it is or where to start. What are examples of how to eat mindfully? Can I actually do it? How much time do I need?
The ambiguity of what mindful eating is can be overwhelming and dissuade newcomers to the mindful eating scene. One goal of mindful eating is to increase the enjoyment and pleasure from your meal. For many people, enjoying a meal can increase the overall sense of satisfaction from the meal.
Mindful eating is vast topic. But there are many mini mindful eating behaviors that everyone can try. These ideas only need a moment of your time at minimum. Many people will then work towards longer moments of mindfulness while eating, or multiple short mindful moments throughout an eating occasion.
Here are examples of specific behaviors of how to eat mindfully. You can focus on these if you don't know where to start and want something actionable.
Examples of How to Eat Mindfully
Before choosing food, think about what type of food will satisfy you (do you want something warm, cold, crunchy, sweet, savory...)
Before eating, notice what is driving you to eat (hunger, habit, anxiety, boredom, craving...)
After taking one bite think about if you enjoyed the food
Between bites, inhale the aroma and notice the scent
Notice the mouthfeel of the food (what is the texture, consistency, temperature...)
Notice the flavor of your food while it is in your mouth
After finished a food, think about if the flavor seemed to change during the duration you ate the food
Eat without distractions (no TV, music, videos, games)
Thank the person who prepared the food (including yourself!) with a specific reason of why you enjoyed it
Focus on discerning specific flavors in the food
Choose a flavor or spice you have never used to help you remember to notice the flavor