Research-Backed Tips For Mindful Eating

A growing body of research is in full support of mindful eating. Enjoying your food slowly and consciously improves mood, lowers cortisol levels, and results in healthier diets and weight loss. And that's only the tip of the research.

How do you eat mindfully? Nutritionists, scientists, and psychologists have all proposed several methods. Even a handful of these tips--eating slowly, dining differently, distinguishing hunger from cravings--can transform your mood and health. Here are the most scientifically supported mindful eating techniques for a happier mealtime.

The Basics Of Mindful Eating

Members of the British Royal Navy eat lunch on board the HMS Montrose frigate
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Mindfulness is the mental state of focusing on the moment and being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. According to Transcultural Psychology, the practice extended from Burmese Buddhism and is now used in therapy programs such as dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT).

Eating mindfully entails: distinguishing between real hunger and non-hunger queues to eat; eating without distraction; deciding when you're full; noticing the experience of eating. Not only does mindful eating train you to listen to your body, but it also lowers anxiety and stress surrounding eating.

ADVERTISEMENT

Why Eat Mindfully?

ADVERTISEMENT
Howard VanWinkle rests his face on his hand as he prepares to eat dinner at nearly 9:30 p.m.
Aaron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Aaron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Not only does eating mindfully reduce stress, but it also helps you feel fuller for longer and prevents health issues. Research in the 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine concluded that mindfulness lowered chronic stress, which in turn improves weight loss. Slowing down helps, because it takes at least 20 minutes for the body to understand that you're full.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another study in the journal Explore found that mindful eating can alleviate temptations of binge-eating disorder, a potential cause of obesity. The study was backed up by research in the journals Eating Disorders (2011) and Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2013).

ADVERTISEMENT

Eat Slowly And Patiently

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Woman in black shirt holding ceramic plate with homemade energy oats granola bars with dried fruits and nuts over black background.
Natasha Breen/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Natasha Breen/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Because it takes 20-30 minutes for the brain to release satisfaction hormones, we can easily over-consume if we eat fast. According to the 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, eating slowly prompts a more pronounced gut peptide response. In other words, it helps us feel fuller.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that women who ate leisurely felt more satisfied afterward. Not only did they appreciate their food's taste more, but they also drank more water alongside their meal. Dining patiently will help you feel more satisfied overall.

ADVERTISEMENT

Learn How To Distinguish Hunger From Cravings

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A man and a woman eat ice cream at an ice cream parlour in Berlin
Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images
Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Contrary to popular belief, cravings do not tell your body that you need certain nutrients. Several studies, such as in the 2018 issue of Cell Metabolism, demonstrate that cravings form from habit and snacks that we remember the taste of. As a result, cravings don't rely on hunger.

ADVERTISEMENT

Richard Mattes, Ph.D., MPH, a professor of nutrition at Purdue University, recommends focusing on your body to determine whether you're hungry or craving something. Physical hunger usually accompanies a growling stomach or loss of focus. If you're still unsure, ask yourself if you would eat an apple. Remember: cravings only target specific foods.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ignore How Your Tablemates Eat

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Juniper Valley Ranch dinner served family style
Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In 2007, research in Obesity explained how eating with others increases a person's food intake. The study expressed that people should "[rely] on internal cues for meal cessation, rather than external cues." If you eat because you're still at the table, or continue eating when your friends or family do, you're not eating mindfully.

ADVERTISEMENT

Try to focus on how full you feel rather than how your tablemates eat. A study in the Psychological Bulletin discerned that eating patiently will encourage others to slow down, so don't worry about your pace. Rely on internal cues to guide your meal.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Clock Means Nothing

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A woman holds an unbaked pie while looking at a wall clock in a kitchen.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Relying on time may encourage you to eat when you don't feel hungry. In a 1968 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers analyzed the meal habits of obese and healthy weight people. They noted that obese people always ate based on the time, even when they artificially sped up the clock. Those with a healthy weight did not pay attention to the time.

ADVERTISEMENT

If you decide to chow down simply because the clock struck noon, you're not eating mindfully. Only eat when you feel hungry, not when it's time for a meal.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dine With A Challenge

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
People are tasting traditional Chengdu hot pot.
Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images
Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Lilian Cheung, a nutritionist at Harvard School of Public Health and author of Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, recommends some techniques that force people to slow down and focus more on their meal. One of them is to set a timer for 20 minutes and eat one portion during that time.

ADVERTISEMENT

You can also try using utensils with your non-dominant hand or chopsticks (if you're not used to them.) These small challenges can force you to concentrate more on eating. In addition, try dining in silence. When you're not talking, you'll pay more attention to how your food tastes, feels, and smells.

ADVERTISEMENT

Remove Distractions During Meals

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Grey Lehrhaupt and Jared Garber eat dinner of Cinnabons before hockey practice
Calla Kessler/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Calla Kessler/The Washington Post via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Whether it's watching TV, listening to a podcast, or playing a game, distractions all impact our meals the same way: they prompt us to over-eat. Since people don't focus on their food, they tend to feel less satisfied afterward. In 2011, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study concluding that participants who ate while playing a game felt hungrier later on.

ADVERTISEMENT

When people eat while distracted, they tend to finish their meal more quickly and consume more calories. Eat without distractions. Focus on patient mealtimes, the smell, and the texture of your food, and how you feel.

ADVERTISEMENT

If Watching TV While Eating, Pay Attention To Your Food, Too

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A woman holds a remote controller while eating popcorn in Ankara, Turkey
Ercin Top/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Ercin Top/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Researchers have noted that people tend to eat more when they don't have visual cues to let them know how much they've consumed. In 2007, scientists observed participants who ate chicken wings while watching a sports game. They noted that those who saw bones on the table ate 34% less than (two fewer wings) than those who didn't.

ADVERTISEMENT

An earlier study in Obesity Research recorded that those who ate from self-refilling bowls consumed 73% more soup, and the people who ate less soup felt just as full. Keep a visual cue of how much you have eaten in front of you to remain mindful.

ADVERTISEMENT

Keep Your Seconds Out Of Sight

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Woman eating vegetable soup.
Anjelika Gretskaia/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Anjelika Gretskaia/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

It's hard to focus on your current dinner dish if the seconds are staring at you the entire time. Research suggests that seeing more food prompts over-eating. In 2006, a study in the International Journal of Obesity found that placing candy in a clear bowl resulted in two secretaries eating 71% more often.

ADVERTISEMENT

Focusing on one plate at a time will encourage you to eat slowly, which is a key skill of mindful eating. It will also force you to pause before dishing seconds. A key aspect of mindfulness is being able to recognize when you feel full.

ADVERTISEMENT

Think Before You Eat (Using The Right Method)

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Customers Dining in Restaurant.
Lisa Wiltse/Corbis via Getty Images
Lisa Wiltse/Corbis via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Before you eat, reflect. However, don't over-contemplate the food you're choosing. A review of 50 studies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Review discovered that over-thinking a meal allows people to justify extra calories. Instead, consider how you feel before you take your first bite (but after you cook your meal).

ADVERTISEMENT

In 2014, researchers asked participants to ponder their emotions and physical sensations before eating. People who introspected before digging in ate less, relied less on emotional cues, and enjoyed their meal more. Recognizing how you feel is the core action of mindfulness.

ADVERTISEMENT

Always Stock Your Fridge--Even With Sweets

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman putting away groceries into her refrigerator
Twitter/@revieweddotcom
Twitter/@revieweddotcom
ADVERTISEMENT

New York psychotherapist Dr. Alexis Conason proposed a different solution to slowing down and enjoying meals. She asserts that people resort to emotional eating when they believe that their food is limited. "We have a 'now or never' mentality, thinking this is our one opportunity to eat this food," she explains.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dr. Conason recommends frequently replenishing your fridge so you won't feel compelled to scarf down your few available treats. "When we truly believe that food won't be restricted, the food usually loses its emotional power," she said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sit Down: Don't Stand And Eat

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Boy places a napkin around his neck after sitting for dinner at Chaval
Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In recent years, a health misconception spread that tells people to stand while eating to burn extra calories. But a 2007 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics argues otherwise. In the study, participants who ate while sitting enjoyed their meal more slowly and consumed fewer calories.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sitting down allows you to concentrate on your food's flavor. According to Denny Waxman, a macrobiotic counselor, eating while sitting urges people to keep track of how much they've consumed: another act of mindfulness.

ADVERTISEMENT

Eat From Small Packages Or Plates

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A boy sits in front of a plate of chicken nuggets and French fries
Tobias Hase/picture alliance via Getty Images
Tobias Hase/picture alliance via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Just as looking at second helpings causes people to eat more, digging into a large plate or container coaxes speedy eating. In 2012, researchers for Health Psychology dyed every 7th Pringles chip red for an experiment. Participants who had their chips sectioned ate 65% less.

ADVERTISEMENT

The study's author believed that segmenting the chips "[called] attention to and [encouraged] better monitoring of eating." When there's less on our plate, we won't feel tempted to continue chomping after feeling full.

ADVERTISEMENT

Practice Non-Judgment

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Woman smiling and eating a pie.
BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In 2016, researchers tracked around 200 adults who ate either mindfully or not mindfully. After 12 months, the mindful eating group had lower blood sugar levels than the non-mindful group. The study, cited in the journal Obesity, cited some of the researcher's strategies to teach mindful eating.

ADVERTISEMENT

Author Jennifer Daubenmier, Ph.D., said that they taught the mindful eating group "loving kindness" exercises to avoid self-guilt that often spirals into emotional eating. "When we do overeat, we may feel guilt or shame for doing so," she said, "and overeating can spiral out of control."

ADVERTISEMENT

Don't Make Your Snacks Accessible

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
With remote control in one hand and nacho chip in the other, a teenager eats the food she likes in front of the TV.
Mark Peterson/Corbis via Getty Images
Mark Peterson/Corbis via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

If you have a bowl of candy by your hip, you'll feel tempted to keep reaching for more and more handfuls. The accessibility of sweets can lead to mindless eating, especially if you snack while distracted. To prevent mindless eating, store your snacks and guilty pleasure food out of reach.

ADVERTISEMENT

In 2002, researchers placed bowls of candy either at an employee's desk or six feet away. The participants rarely snagged candy from the bowl far away even if it contained more goodies. In the journal Appetite, the participants said that the long walk made them think twice about the snack.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask Yourself About Your Meal Plan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Note-taking on a pice of sheet with a pen during a business meeting
Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Michelle May, MD, founded a mindful eating worship called "Am I Hungry?" For it, she lists a series of questions that increase peoples' awareness of how they eat. "Once you're aware, you can change your actions," she said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Her questions to consider include: Why do I eat? When do I want to eat? What do I eat? How do I eat, or how do I feel when I eat? How much do I eat? Where do I invest the energy that food has given me?

ADVERTISEMENT

Drop Off Your Cell Phone At The Kitchen

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Howard and Janie VanWinkle look at the precipitation report on Janie's phone as they eat Blizzards at Dairy Queen
AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

It's all too easy to browse Instagram during lunch. But according to a 2018 study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, using your phone while eating lowers your happiness. Researchers from the University of British Columbia deduced that participants used their phone for at least 11% of the meal and appreciated their experience less than those who put their phones away.

ADVERTISEMENT

The temptation of checking your notifications will distract you from your meal. Leave your phone in another room during dinner, or in the car if you eat out. Enjoy your food and your company instead.

ADVERTISEMENT

Engage Your Senses At Least A Little Bit

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Malayalis enjoy a traditional Sadhya meal during the Vishu Festival in Ontario, Canada.
Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images
Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Most people understand that mindful eating involves concentrating on your food's texture, smell, and flavor. Rebecca J. Frey, Ph.D., and Laura Jean Cataldo, RN, narrow down this concept even further. They recommend practicing with one meal--or even part of that meal--and eating in slow motion.

ADVERTISEMENT

In one technique, you can place your food in your mouth without chewing, and recognize how you feel. Chew slowly--around thirty times. Pause in between bites and smell your food as well. When you really concentrate on your meals, you may realize that you liked them more or less than you initially thought.

ADVERTISEMENT

Check In With Yourself During The Day

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Young man having coffee while surfing the net on laptop at the Museum of Modern Art Museum
Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In 2009, scientists at Purdue University had participants record their hunger and thirst levels every hour for a week. Their results, published in the Journal of the American Dietetics Association, concluded that people seldom ate when they were hungry or thirsty. Instead, they waited until when they usually had their meals.

ADVERTISEMENT

When people wait until they're starving to eat, they'll rush through their meals. Every day, take a moment to check in with your body. Do you need a drink or a snack? Honoring your body's needs is a crucial aspect of mindfulness.