Mindful eating means giving your food your full attention, including how hungry or full you feel. It can help you notice how you eat. As a way to lose weight, the evidence is more limited than many articles suggest.
Table of Contents
What is mindful eating?
Harvard Health Publishing describes mindful eating as the act of fully focusing on your food as you eat: noticing its tastes, smells and textures, and your own hunger and fullness signals.
What the evidence says about weight
The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) summarizes a 2017 review that found mindfulness approaches were very effective for managing eating behaviors but less effective at helping people lose weight. It also notes that much mindfulness research is preliminary or not scientifically rigorous.
Harvard Health cites one small study of 10 volunteers with obesity who attended weekly mindful eating classes for three months and reported less hunger, stress, and binge eating. That is far too small to rely on, and Harvard words its own conclusion carefully: eating in a hurry may contribute to overweight and obesity.
So we do not claim that mindful eating will make you lose weight. It is a way of paying attention to how you eat.
Why speed and distraction matter
Harvard Health explains that fullness signals travel from your stomach and intestines to your brain, and that it can take 20 minutes or longer for your brain to realize it is time to put down your fork. Eating fast does not give that system time to work. Eating while you are busy doing other things can leave you less satisfied, which may lead to eating more.
Practical ways to try it
These come from Harvard Health’s suggestions:
- Create a calm, pleasant place to eat, and eat at a table rather than on the run.
- Put away your phone, computer, reading material and the TV.
- Pace your meal. Harvard suggests setting a 20-minute timer and trying to make your meal last until it sounds.
- Focus on one bite at a time and put your fork down between bites.
- Chew each mouthful thoroughly. Harvard suggests about 30 times.
- Check whether you are really hungry before taking seconds or dessert.
You do not need to do all six at once. Pick one and try it for a week.
Regular meals
The NHS advises not skipping meals when you are trying to manage your weight, because you might end up snacking more when you feel hungry. Regular meals make it easier to eat attentively rather than in a rush.
Take care with this approach
- Mindfulness practices usually carry few risks, but the NCCIH reports that about 8% of participants in one review reported a negative effect, most often anxiety or depression.
- If you have an eating disorder or a history of disordered eating, talk to a healthcare professional before changing how you approach food. Our tools and guides are not suitable in those situations.
- Do not use mindfulness to replace medical care or to delay seeing a healthcare provider, the NCCIH advises.
How this fits with the rest of a healthy routine
Mindful eating is one habit among several. For the fuller picture, see what health authorities say about belly fat, our fiber guide and 7 habits of healthy living.
Frequently asked questions
Can mindful eating help me lose weight?
It may help with how you eat, but the evidence for weight loss is weaker. The NIH’s NCCIH, summarizing a 2017 review, says mindfulness was very effective for managing eating behaviors but less effective at helping people lose weight.
How long should a meal take?
Harvard Health says it can take 20 minutes or longer for your brain to realize you are full, and suggests setting a 20-minute timer and pacing your meal to last until it sounds.
Is mindful eating safe?
The NCCIH says mindfulness practices usually have few risks, but that about 8% of participants in one review of 83 studies reported a negative effect, most often anxiety or depression. If you have a history of disordered eating, speak to a healthcare professional before changing how you approach food.
Is mindful eating a treatment for emotional or binge eating?
No. A small study cited by Harvard Health reported less binge eating among participants, but it involved only 10 people and is preliminary. The NCCIH advises not to use mindfulness to replace conventional care. If eating feels out of control, talk to your GP or another healthcare professional.
Sources
- NCCIH: Meditation and mindfulness, effectiveness and safety
- Harvard Health Publishing: Slow down, and try mindful eating
- NHS: 12 tips to help you lose weight
You may also be interested in:
Here are tools you may try for free:
This article is general education, not medical advice. Read our disclaimer and editorial policy.