Mindful Eating

Functional Profile of

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a key component of eating intuitively, although it is not exclusive to intuitive eating. Mindful eating encourages awareness of the sensory stimuli (taste, smell, texture, etc.) of the food you eat and being conscious of your present experience of the meal. This way of eating includes the following: Paying attention to the food being consumed, Eating more slowly, Eating on purpose, Being present (in the moment) when eating and Eating without judgment.

• Preparation & Application Methods

  Begin each meal with a breath or moment of gratitude.

  
  Eliminate distractions like screens, scrolling, or multitasking.

  
  Chew slowly, noticing the taste, texture, and temperature of each bite.

  
  Pause halfway through to check in with fullness.

  
  Practice a “5 senses” scan before eating to increase sensory presence.

  
  Journal emotions or sensations before and after meals to track patterns.

  
  Eat while seated, with intention and calm.

• Prominent Medicinal Actions

  Parasympathetic Activator – Shifts the nervous system into rest mode, improving digestion and nutrient absorption.
  Appetite Harmonizer – Brings eating into alignment with internal signals instead of external cues.
  Digestive Potentiator – Enhances digestive secretions by engaging the senses during eating.
  Stress Eater Regulator – Reduces emotional triggers that lead to unconscious or impulsive eating.
  Impulse Pattern Reprogrammer – Disrupts habitual eating loops through presence and awareness.
  Satiety Enhancer – Supports early recognition of satisfaction and natural fullness.
  Sensory Amplifier – Increases meal satisfaction by heightening taste, smell, and texture awareness.

• Cautions & Contraindications

  May be contraindicated in acute trauma or eating disorders, where awareness during meals could increase distress — seek professional guidance.

  
  May initially bring up difficult emotions (e.g., guilt, grief, or shame) as unconscious patterns surface.

  Not a rapid intervention — terrain shifts occur over weeks or months of consistent practice.

Eating More Slowly

Eating more slowly is one way to eat more mindfully. Taking your time, focusing on each bite, and chewing and experiencing your food as much as possible are all possible benefits of eating at a slower rate. Evidence on the association between slowing down at meals and weight loss is mixed. So, while future research might find more benefits of slowing down, weight loss is not currently one of those benefits. As a wellness coach, you can recommend being more mindful and intentional at meals but be careful not to suggest that doing so will aid body composition goals.

Eating in Accordance With Internal Cues

One important habit for clients to build is eating in accordance with their hunger and fullness so they rely on internal cues to eat rather than being overly influenced by external cues such as their environment. This can prevent eating past the point of hunger or mindlessly eating without being aware of what you are consuming. To help clients listen to their internal hunger and satiety cues, introduce them to a simple hunger scale. With a hunger scale, you assess your hunger or fullness before and during a meal and then rate that on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being Absolutely Starving and 10 being Nauseously Full. On the scale, the numbers may correspond to the subjective ratings below.

1. Before a meal, rate where you are on this scale. Being around 3 or 4 is good, as this prevents eating when not hungry but also avoids putting off eating until ravenous.

2. During the meal, pause briefly for about 10 seconds and rate your hunger again.

3. Toward the end of the meal, rate your hunger or fullness once more, with the aim of ending up at around a score of 5 to 7.

• References

  Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York: Delta.
  – Foundational source for mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which informs the principles behind mindful eating.

  Albers, S. (2012). Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food. New Harbinger Publications.
  – Practical application of mindfulness to eating behaviors, emotions, and self-regulation.

  Kristeller, J. L., & Wolever, R. Q. (2011). Mindfulness-based eating awareness training (MB-EAT) for treating binge eating disorder: The conceptual foundation. Eating Disorders, 19(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2011.533605
  – Evidence-based clinical model for how mindful eating improves disordered eating and emotional regulation.

  Mason, A. E., Epel, E. S., Kristeller, J., et al. (2016). Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindful eating, sweet consumption, and fasting glucose levels in obese adults: Data from the SHINE randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 39(2), 201–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9692-8
  – Clinical trial linking mindful eating to blood sugar regulation and reduced sugar cravings.

  Dunn, C., & Bratman, S. (2016). Mindful eating: An emerging approach for healthy weight management. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 10(3), 202–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827615569682
  – Overview of mindful eating as a tool for terrain-centered, sustainable weight and metabolic support.

  Tapper, K. (2017). Can mindfulness influence weight management-related eating behaviors? A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 40(3), 414–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-016-9799-1
  – Systematic review showing terrain-relevant effects of mindfulness on eating pace, cravings, and impulse control.