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Mindful Eating:
Enjoying Your Food with
All Your Senses
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Objectives

 Describe the concepts of mindful eating

 Explain the benefits of slowing down when eating

 Employ strategies to make mindful eating possible

 Eat food mindfully

 Be mindful about building a healthy eating pattern using

MyPlate guidelines
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Introduction
 Eating after you are already full, eating just because there is
still food on your plate and gobbling down food even when
you are not hungry are all signs of mindless eating: eating
without really considering what you are doing.

 When you eat mindlessly you are

more likely to overeat and gain weight.
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Introduction
 You tend to enjoy your food less
because you don’t notice its flavors
and textures. When you try to enjoy
your food you will learn to be
satisfied with smaller amounts.
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What is Mindful Eating

 Mindful eating is paying attention to the process of eating

and enjoying the experience.

 Giving full attention to the smell, taste and texture of food

and the environment in which it is served.

 A growing awareness of what your body is telling you.

 Selecting the foods your body needs to be healthy.

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A Look at the Japanese
 In Japan there is a saying that you should eat until you are
80 percent full. It is called Hara Hachi Bu.

 The Japanese pay attention to themselves while eating and

when they feel they are mostly full, but could still eat a little
more, they stop eating.
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Why Does
Hara Hachi Bu Help
 Eating until you are 80 percent full helps you
stay in tune with your body and maintain a
certain level of fullness.

 The more you fill your stomach, the more it

will stretch. Overtime, the stretching of your
stomach causes it to get bigger, making you
less aware when you are actually full.

 The principle of Hara Hachi Bu prevents this

stretching from occurring.
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Does This Principle
Really Work
 This saying came from Okinawa where many have a very
healthy weight and more than one-quarter of the population
live to be 100 years old.

 What is the secret of their long life? It could be in the calorie

restriction.

 Hara Hachi Bu can be practiced anytime and any place where

we eat. It simply takes a little self-control to understand that,
typically, we are more full, than we feel.
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Lessons From The French

 The French usually take about 2 hours for dinner, which is the
largest meal of the day.

 They see dinner as an opportunity for family and friends to

spend quality time together recounting the events of the day.
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Lessons From The French

 A typical dinner in France consist of six courses: a pre-dinner

drink and small appetizers, a main course of meat, poultry, or
fish, a salad, a selection of cheese, a fresh fruit and coffee.

 This may sound like a lot of food, but French portions are
about 25 percent smaller than typical American portions.
They also have smaller snack and beverage portions.

 Their smaller portion sizes and slower eating may factor into
why the French can eat long meals and still stay slim.
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Lessons From The French

 The meal is normally eaten at a

leisurely pace. Eating food at a
slower pace allows the food to get
from the esophagus into the
stomach in the time between
courses.

 This helps the French realize how

full they are. There is no need to
force down or rush through any of
these courses.

 French meals are designed for

enjoyment and time for the family to
be together.
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Try It Now!
 Take a grape and put one in your mouth, close your eyes, but
do not begin chewing.

 Try not to pay attention to anything else, just focus on the

grape in your mouth. Roll the grape around with your
tongue. Do you notice anything that comes to mind about the
taste, texture, temperature and sensations going through your
mouth.

 Take the first bite; notice the juicy burst as your teeth sink in.
Try to feel the sensation of what that bite is like:
the flavor, the color, the texture and the smell of
the grape. Roll it around in your mouth the
second time experiencing the new
flavors and textures.
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Try It Now!!
 Begin chewing the grape slowly, carefully considering the
new flavors and textures each time. Try to chew the grape at
least 12 times, each time experiencing the flavors and
changes in texture.

 Pay close attention to what chewing the grape feels like. If

you feel you are paying too much attention to your thoughts,
just let them go for a while and refocus on the movement of
your jaw.

 At this point, you may find you want to swallow the grape, try
to pay attention to the subtle transitions between chewing
and swallowing.
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Try It Now!!!
 As you swallow the grape, try to follow its movement toward
the back of your tongue and into your throat. Swallow the
grape; follow it until you no longer feel any sensation of the
food remaining.

 Take a deep breath and exhale.

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Benefits of Slowing Down
 It takes 20 minutes for food to reach the first part of the small
intestine. When that happens, chemical signals are sent back
to the brain that tells the body, "Whoa! Stop eating!"

 When we eat too fast, our body does not have time to
recognize the signals telling us we are full and have had
enough to eat.
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Benefits of Slowing Down

 When we eat more slowly, we have time to savor each bite.

 If we eat slowly, pausing until one bite is completely chewed

and swallowed, and wait until the taste is almost gone from
our mouth before we take another bite, the next bite we take
is again very enjoyable.

 We end up getting a lot of pleasure out of ten bites, instead of

enjoying only the first two bites and eating twenty additional
bites in search of that original delicious flavor.
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Benefits of Slowing Down
 While it is not necessary to have a structured meal like this
every night, following certain principles from each culture
can help a tremendous amount with controlling appetites and
cravings.

 We should not have to feel guilty for nibbling through a

sandwich while we work, or being the last one done.

 Just relax and enjoy the

food during meals.
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Make Mindful
Eating Happen
 Eat only when you are hungry. Try not to wait until you are
famished as this increases the chances of overeating.

 Pay attention to your body and listen for those signals of

hunger.

 Create an appealing environment. Set the table nicely, add

some flowers and other decorations to give a pleasant
ambiance.

 Avoid distractions. Try not to eat in front of the television and

resist the desire to take telephone calls during the meal,
unless it is an emergency.
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Make Mindful
Eating Happen
 Have meals at the table with the rest of your family.

 Take some time to enjoy the aroma and colors of the food.
This is a good time to be thankful for the meal.

 Take small bites of your food and appreciate the texture and
flavor. Chew your food properly.
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Selecting Food Mindfully
 Start with a smaller, 9 inch plate.

 Cover half of the plate with fruits and vegetables, remember the
more colorful the fruits and vegetables, the more nutrients they
contain. Try to eat a variety of colors from both fruits and
vegetables.

 Fill one-forth of the plate with

whole grain or whole wheat products.

 Add a small amount of protein to

the rest of your plate.

 Try to include some dairy such as

cheese, milk or yogurt.
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Eating a Meal with all your Senses
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Staying Active is also Important
Remember Enjoy the Activity you Choose!
 Some physical activity is better than
none at all

 Your health benefits will also increase

with the more physical activity that you
do

 Strengthen your bones and muscles

 Improve your mental health and mood

 Improve your ability to do daily

activities and prevent falls, if you're an
older adult

 Increase your chances of living longer

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Set a Goal for Mindful Eating and
Physical Activity
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Evaluation
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References
 Bays, J. (2009).“Mindful Eating: How to Really Enjoy Your Meal.”
Psychology Today. Retrieved from:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/jan-chozen-bays-md

 Gordinier, J. (2012). “Mindful Eating as Food for Thought.” New York

Times. Retreived from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mindful-eating-as-food-
for-thought.html?pagewanted=all

 May, M. (2012). “Mindful eating: Get out of Autopilot.” Am I Hungry?

Retrieved from: http://amihungry.com/mindful-eating.shtml

 Vangsness, S. (2012) “Mastering the mindful meal.” Brigham and

Women's Hospital. Retrieved from:
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Patients_Visitors/pcs/nutrition/se
rvices/healtheweightforwomen/special_topics/intelihealth0405.aspx
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Graphic Credits
 Microsoft clip art: Slides 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20,
21, 22, 23, 24

 Mac clip art : Slide 6

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Mindful Eating
Author: Ingrid Adams, Ph.D., R.D. L.D.
Assistant Professor , Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kentucky
Extension Specialist for Physical Activity and Weight Management

Contributors:
Mallory Foster, B.S.
Graduate Student in Nutrition and Dietetics
Dayna Parrett, B.S. (PowerPoint Editing)
Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for Nelson County

Graphics: Creative Commons CC, Microsoft Online, USDA Food and Nutrition Services

June 2012

Copyright © September 2012 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its
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