The Power of Eating More Slowly: Mindfulness & Healing Disordered Eating Habits
Mindfulness has been gaining popularity as a tool for managing stress, anxiety, and depression. But did you know that mindfulness can also be a powerful tool in healing disordered eating habits? In this post, we'll explore the role of mindfulness in healing disordered eating habits, with a particular focus on the power of eating more slowly.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a practice that involves paying attention to the present moment, without judgment. It is about being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations, without trying to change them. Mindfulness can be practiced through meditation, but it can also be incorporated into daily life, such as when eating a meal.
The Role of Mindfulness in Healing Disordered Eating Habits
Disordered eating habits, such as binge eating, emotional eating, and restrictive eating, often stem from a disconnection from the body's natural hunger and fullness cues. Mindfulness can help to re-establish this connection by increasing awareness of bodily sensations and emotions.
By paying attention to the present moment, we can become more aware of our body's signals for hunger and fullness. This can help us to eat when we are hungry and stop eating when we are full. Mindfulness can also help us to recognize emotional triggers for overeating, such as stress or boredom, and develop more effective coping strategies.
The Power of Eating More Slowly
Eating more slowly is a simple and effective way to incorporate mindfulness into your eating habits. When we eat more slowly, we can pay closer attention to the taste, texture, and aroma of our food. This can enhance the sensory experience of eating and increase our enjoyment of food.
Eating more slowly can also help us to become more aware of our body's signals for hunger and fullness. When we eat quickly, we may not give our body enough time to register that we are full. By eating more slowly, we can give our body time to catch up and recognise when we are satisfied.
HALT: Before Eating….
Check in with yourself by asking these questions:
H - Am I Hungry?
A - Am I Anxious, Angry or Avoiding Something?
L - Lonely or Bored?
T - Tired or Tense? (or is this a “Treat”?)
Source: Solution Focused Recovery from Eating Distress by Frederike Jacob (2001)
If you feel more you’re Anxious, Angry, Avoiding Something, Lonely, Bored, Tired or Tense etc - this is a sign that you’re experiencing emotional hunger as opposed to physical hunger. It’s ok to eat emotionally sometimes, but if you struggle with this as a recurring cycle that you want to address, this is a good opportunity to identify what happened leading up to these feelings. Were you triggered by an event, place, time or person? And what actions could you take to start processing those emotions in a healthy way?
Maybe that looks like calling a friend or loved one, taking some time out with some deep breaths, journaling your feelings, doing an activity you enjoy or even just making a cup of tea and looking at things from a more objective point of view.
You can find more information in the article: “Physical Hunger vs Emotional Hunger: How to Tell the Difference (& Improve Your Relationship with Food)”
If you feel physically hungry, move on to the steps below!
Tips for Eating More Slowly
Here are some tips for incorporating mindful eating into your daily routine:
Start by taking a few deep breaths before you begin eating. This can help to calm your mind and bring you into the present moment.
Chew your food slowly and thoroughly. Aim to chew each bite at least 20 times before swallowing.
Put down your utensils between bites. This can help to slow down your eating and increase your awareness of your body's signals for hunger and fullness.
Focus on the taste, texture, and aroma of your food. Take time to savor each bite and notice the flavors and sensations in your mouth.
Take breaks during your meal. Pause for a few minutes halfway through your meal to check in with your body and see if you are still hungry.
Eat in a calm and relaxed environment. Avoid distractions such as the TV or computer, and focus on enjoying your meal without rushing.
Benefits of Mindful Eating
In addition to helping to re-establish a connection with your body's natural hunger and fullness cues, mindful eating has been linked to a number of other benefits. These include:
Increased enjoyment of food
Improved digestion and absorption of nutrients
Reduced stress and anxiety
Improved blood sugar control
Reduced Weight Cycling
Mindfulness can be a powerful tool in healing disordered eating habits. By paying attention to the present moment and incorporating mindful eating practices, such as eating more slowly, we can re-establish a connection with our body's natural hunger and fullness cues. This can help to reduce overeating, emotional eating, and other disordered eating habits, leading to improved overall health and well-being.
If you would like help with issues including binge eating, compulsive overeating, weight & body anxiety, obesity reversal or food addition, I offer private therapy sessions both in person and online. If you are interested, click the button below to get started - I can’t wait to meet you!
