Mindless Eating Versus Mindful Eating

Mindless Eating Versus Mindful Eating

How, what and how much we eat are on the minds of many of us today.  The rate of overweight, obesity and related diseases in the United States is very high, but yet these conditions are largely preventable.  Many people try to remedy this with diets of all types.  The unfortunate result is a vicious cycle of weight loss and gain that is very difficult to change. 

My own opinion has long been that diets don’t work.  A book by Dr. Brian Wansink titled, Mindless Eating, confirms my belief.  Besides being witty and humorous, the book is entirely science-based.  Dr. Wansink makes the case for some easy strategies that anyone can use to shave 100 calories from each day’s intake.  The result over time is around 10 pounds weight loss annually.  When we lose weight slowly, it usually occurs with a lasting change in eating habits.  This method can help us maintain our weight at a healthier level.  Here is a sampling of his suggestions:

• See all you eat – serve or plate your food before the meal, and look at it and focus on it while you’re eating

• Be mindful of sizes – use smaller plates and tall, skinny glasses (round glasses tend to have larger volume pours)

• Make overeating a hassle – move tempting things out of sight (in cupboards, basement or foil wrap), eat with chop sticks, put your fork or spoon down between bites

• No second helpings!!!

• Comfort foods in moderation – don’t deprive yourself but do serve portion sized amounts (not with the big pot, bowl or bag in front of you on the table); try pairing healthier foods with positive events

• Be a gatekeeper – use the ½ plate rule (½ salad or vegetable, ¼ protein, ¼ carbohydrate)

Another concept that may help is “Mindful Eating” as explained in a recent edition of Harvard Health Publications.  How many of us multitask while eating?  While we are reading a computer screen or watching TV, we eat a meal.  While we are attending to the non-food activity, a large amount of food disappears.  A large dose of indigestion may follow too!  If we instead borrow from the Buddhist concept of mindfulness, other activities must be put aside while we eat.  Mindful eating includes noticing the colors, smells, textures and flavors of the food.  Take the time to chew slowly, to savor and appreciate the meal.  Slowing down our eating also allows natural satiety to let us know when we’ve had enough.  It takes the brain 20 minutes to signal fullness.  We also know that the first two bites of a food taste the best.  After that, the taste buds become less sensitive.

So in the end, mindless and mindful eating are really complimentary concepts.  When used together, we can experience our food with all our senses, give it the importance to our existence it deserves, and take in only what our bodies need for health and well-being. 

Karen Andrea

Nurse Educator, Fitness Instructor, and Life Coach