In a busy week, eating becomes an afterthought: lunch at the desk, dinner in front of a screen, snacks in the car. The problem is not the food so much as the autopilot. Mindful eating is the practice of paying attention to what, why and how you eat, and it is one of the most useful skills for anyone training hard, trying to manage their weight or simply wanting to enjoy food more. It is not a diet. Here is what it does and seven techniques to start with, from the team at Hammer’s Gym in Nunawading.
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating means bringing awareness and appreciation to meals: noticing your body’s hunger and fullness cues, savouring each mouthful and making conscious choices about what goes on your plate rather than eating out of habit, stress or boredom. The benefits stack up quickly:
- less stress and guilt around food;
- better digestion and fewer post-meal slumps;
- easier weight management, because you stop eating when satisfied rather than stuffed;
- more enjoyment from the food you do eat; and
- a healthier, calmer relationship with your body.
For people training for fat loss it is especially powerful, because most of the calories that stall progress are the ones eaten without noticing. Pair it with our guide to calorie deficit vs surplus.
7 mindful eating techniques
1. Remove the distractions
Turn off the TV, put the phone face down and sit at a table. Eating with full attention is the foundation of every other technique, and it is the one most people skip.
2. Engage your senses first
Before the first bite, take a moment to notice the colours, aromas and textures on the plate. It sounds trivial, but it primes digestion, slows you down and makes the meal more satisfying.
3. Chew thoroughly
Aim for 20 to 30 chews per mouthful. Thorough chewing aids digestion, lets the flavour develop and gives your body time to register fullness, which is why people who chew slowly tend to eat less without trying.
4. Check in with your body
Before eating, ask: am I actually hungry, or am I tired, stressed or bored? Rate your hunger from one to ten. Eat when you are genuinely hungry and stop when comfortably satisfied, around a seven, rather than full.
5. Slow down and pause
Put your cutlery down between bites and take a breath. Fullness signals take 15 to 20 minutes to reach the brain, so a slower meal lets them arrive before you have overeaten.
6. Practise gratitude
Take a second to appreciate where the food came from and what it is doing for you: fuelling your training, repairing your muscles, feeding your family. Appreciation changes how you eat.
7. Be kind to yourself
You will eat mindlessly sometimes. That is not failure; it is information. Notice it without judgement and return to the practice at the next meal. Mindful eating is a lifelong habit, not a 30-day challenge.
Mindful eating for people who train
Awareness does not replace the fundamentals. You still need enough protein (see our protein guide) and the right amount of food for your goal. What mindfulness adds is the ability to notice when you are eating for reasons other than fuel, to enjoy the treat you chose instead of five you did not, and to stop the post-training over-eating that undoes a good session. It pairs well with the practical habits in how to eat for training and wellbeing.
Start small
Pick one meal a day, usually dinner, and eat it with full attention for a week. Add breakfast the following week. Within a month the habit spreads on its own. If you would like further reading, books such as Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and the resources at The Center for Mindful Eating are good places to go deeper, and meditation apps can help build the general skill of attention.
A mindful approach to food brings benefits that reach well beyond the plate, and it makes every other part of your health routine easier. For nutrition guidance that fits your training, talk to our personal trainers at Hammer’s Gym, or claim a free one-day trial and come and see us in Nunawading, minutes from Mitcham, Blackburn, Box Hill and Doncaster.