Mindful Eating: Savor every bite

You enter the dining hall and see different cuisines such as Asian lo mein, Mexican carne asada, and Italian pasta; your mouth starts to salivate … it all looks scrumptious and delicious! Food tastes amazing and sometimes you may eat more than you plan to or don’t have any vegetables on your plate. Unfortunately, you are not alone. Obesity is one of the two leading causes of death, contributing to a 42% prevalence rate in 2017 and costing the U.S. 173 billion dollars. On the opposite end of the spectrum, incidences of eating disorders such as binge eating and anorexia nervosa have also skyrocketed. With the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating the issue, the National Eating Disorders Association helpline has received an increase of 70–80% of calls as of 2021. Lifestyle modifications and mindset shifts are critical for recovery. Mindfulness eating is a great starting point for those willing to take back control of their lives and eating habits. Although everyone benefits from mindful eating, it is also a promising strategy to reduce the prevalence of obesity and eating disorders. 

Mindfulness is a term that originates in Zen Buddhism — it is the practice of being present. Mindful eating focuses on the senses that eating evokes. It has nothing to do with calories, protein, and carbohydrates; instead when we eat mindfully, we appreciate our food. We chew thoroughly — feeling textures, temperatures, tasting flavors– and savor everything. We should eat when we are hungry and take note of how eating food makes our bodies feel. The farm-to-table process is lengthy and requires extensive collaboration between many individuals. Before we dig into a piece of buttered chicken and rice, we need to ask ourselves, “How did my chicken curry end up on my plate?”

When we eat mindfully, we eat without distractions. While socializing with friends and family can supplement mindful eating, eating a meal in front of a screen can actually encourage mindless eating. Other ways we unintentionally commit acts of mindless eating is when we eat while we are doing something else, such as driving or working. According to a literature review published in the Cambridge University Press, when we take our time to enjoy a meal, we are more likely to eat to our stomach’s content.

“Mindful eating focuses on the senses that eating evokes”

Mindless eating is analogous to skimming a text while mindful eating resembles a close read where we are able to digest every piece of thought critically. When we avoid a deprivation mindset and savor every grain of rice and fiber of chicken, we are empowered to give our bodies the proper amount of nutrients, therefore having a happier meal.