Mindful Eating

Mindful eating refers to the practice of remaining aware and attentive to feelings of hunger and fullness, to thoughts about food and eating, and to the sensations of smell, taste, and texture. Mindful eating does not begin when you put a bite into your mouth. It is an ongoing practice that you can do any minute of the day.

Try it right now: how does your stomach feel? Do you notice any discomfort? Any pleasure? Have you thought about food since you started reading? Do you want to eat right now?

Do you have any lingering tastes in your mouth? Can you smell any food? What does your mouth feel like?

These sorts of questions are characteristic of mindful eating but mindful eating is not about having the right answer to these questions but simply being attentive to the signals that your body is sending and whether your brain is sending a different signal. For example, many people continue to eat after they are full. They either eat too quickly for their stomachs to send the message that they are full or they simply do not pay attention to these signals. Mindful eating means paying attention to what you are sensing and feeling so that you can eat the amount of food that your body needs.

Hebrews 12:11: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”