Week 4
Why is Mindful Eating so important?
“Eating and the desire to eat need to be understood as separate activities involving separate mechanisms in the brain. Their distinct roles help us understand another brain chemical: dopamine.”
Rewarding foods are rewiring our brains. As they do, we become more sensitive to the cues that lead us to anticipate rewarding foods.”
- The End of Overeating – David Kessler
Mindfulness is rooted in Eastern contemplative traditions and is the proposed “heart” of Buddhist meditation. In Buddhist traditions, mindful eating is considered a fundamental aspect of a way of living that helps prevent unnecessary harm to one’s body and mind.
In contrast, mindless eating entails eating without awareness and not prompted by physical hunger, in response to food and eating-related cues such as the size, shape, aroma, and color of food or food packaging and situational distractions or pressures such as social events or people.
Action Steps:
Answer the debriefing questions below.
Eat 2 meals this week in complete silence. Start by really looking at your food – “eat the meal with your eyes” before taking the first bit. Say out loud “This is an abundant amount of food, this is delicious, this is satisfying”. Eat slowly, and chew thoroughly. Put your fork down after each bite. You can have soft music playing in the background.
Mindful eating is eating with intention and attention with NO DISTRACTION