The Benefits of Mindful Eating

We often find ourselves scarfing down our meals in front of our TVs and phones or running out the door, late for the next thing on our to-do list. But what if instead of eating mindlessly, we did the opposite?

What if instead of shoveling food in, what if we took our time, chewed our food, and actually experienced eating? I would argue that we would feel much better.

Here are some benefits that I have personally found from practicing mindful eating more often:

1.) Increased satiety (without feeling “stuffed”)

Did you know that by chewing your food for longer, you’re actually sending satiety signals to your brain? When we eat too fast, we don’t give ourselves time to catch up to how full we actually are. As you basically inhale your food, you feel starving, so you keep shoveling it all in. And then all of a sudden, you’re done eating, and you feel terrible. Well, that’s because you didn’t give your body time to signal to you that you were full! So by eating slower, you give your stomach and mind time to communicate with one another, and therefore prevent overeating and feeling uncomfortably bloated.

2.) Better digestion

I mean, we chew our food for a reason, right? We break down the food in our mouths so that our digestive systems have an easier time continuing the process. Our saliva is meant to help chemically break down our food as our teeth mechanically break it down, increasing the surface area of the food, and thereby allowing our digestive enzymes to work more efficiently on it. How cool is that? Less bloating and indigestion? Yes, please!

I had the worst digestion issues before I started practicing mindful eating. I would eat so fast that I was definitely not chewing my food enough, and my stomach knew it! I had constant gas, bloating, and just an overall feeling of discomfort after eating. I feel so much better now after doing this with each meal because it’s easier on my stomach!

3.) A better relationship with food <3

Make mealtime an enjoyable experience! Don’t dread it. Don’t try to rush through it by watching videos on your phone. Just sit down, chew, and really experience the flavor of your food. Constantly feeling sick after eating can create a negative view of food, which is not a good thing! But if you learn to slow down and enjoy your food without accidentally overeating, you can create a positive relationship with eating.

I hope that these tips help you as much as they have helped me! Happy eating :)