by It used to be a brat-girl summer. Now, TikTok has spoken and we are throwing away the attitude in favor of being very demure, very careful, very classy and very respectful ready for fall.
It’s a funny trend, but when it comes to nutrition, this attitude can have real health benefits, according to registered nutritional therapist Catherine Jeans. It’s all about mindful eating.
“Mindful eating is about being more aware of what we put in our mouths and what we eat, and also, when we eat, how we eat,” Jeans said. News Week. “It allows us to be more in tune with when we feel full, how well we’re chewing, and when it’s time to put down our forks and stop eating.”
Mindful eating is a nutritional strategy with historical roots. In the past, fitness buffs used to promote chewing each mouthful several times before swallowing for improved digestion.
The modern iteration of mindful eating has more connections in meditative, grounded and therapeutic practices. It relates to those strategies that may be familiar to people suffering from anxiety or dissociative disorders, in which individuals engage with the outside world to achieve a state of calm.
Similarly, mindful eating is a nutritional strategy that prioritizes engaging the senses, eating slowly and focusing on the process of eating. A mindful eater can ask themselves: What does my meal look like? How does it smell? How does it feel in my mouth? What is the temperature, the texture, the taste?
Mindful eating involves chewing slowly, mindfully – perhaps even rigidly – and in an environment without screens or distractions, ideally surrounded by loved ones.
Many of us eat quickly, while distracted or stressed, Jeans explained.
“We live in a fast-paced world and we do everything so fast, including eating,” she said. “It’s one of the biggest problems I see with hundreds of my clients in the clinic, and it’s a major contributor to IBS symptoms. [irritable bowel syndrome] and other bowel distress.
“When we eat quickly, it’s often because we’re doing other things at the same time, often in a very stressed state. If we’re at our desk, and an email comes in that makes you feel stressed, don’t your body does not prioritize the need to release digestive enzymes and other substances needed for good digestion.
The stress response is a physical state when the body is stimulated by stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. We may feel more on edge, alert, reactive or tense, and our body prioritizes sending energy to the muscle groups that could help us in the event of danger.
That means our digestive systems can be de-prioritized, so many nutritional experts recommend focusing on a state of rest and digestion when eating. Slower and quieter movement can help activate this state, also known as the parasympathetic nervous system.
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Chewing more slowly not only helps us feel calmer, but it can improve our digestion, according to Jeans.
“When we eat more slowly, we are likely to chew better, and this is the first stage of better digestion,” she said.
“When we eat quickly, we often don’t chew well, which means mechanical digestion doesn’t take place in the mouth, and more food particles end up in our stomachs and intestines, making it harder stripping them of all those valuable vitamins, minerals and macronutrients.”
This can also cause indigestion, she explained, “which contributes to digestive discomfort, such as bloating, wind and cramping.” She added that it could “reduce food intolerance reactions” and “foster a healthier balance in the gut microbiome” as well.
Mindful eating may even help with portion control and weight management.
“It takes time for our satiety hormones and signals to kick in,” Jeans said. “If we eat too quickly, we may not be able to recognize when we have had enough.”
“[With mindful eating,] perhaps we prefer to control portions, because we understand more when we are full.”
Eating socially is another fun and beneficial component of mindful eating, Jeans said, adding: “When we eat socially, we’re more likely to eat slowly, because we’re chatting and make time for our food.”
Mindful eating is not for everyone. Research on its effectiveness is mixed, with one review in 2022 concluding that a personalized approach should be taken when deciding whether to use mindful eating strategies.
Neurodivergent individuals may have difficulty eating with these techniques, Jeans said, and instead may benefit from being “more aware of what you put on your plate.”
For people with an eating disorder or disordered eating behaviors, “mindful eating is not an immediate priority,” she said.
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References
Tapper, K. (2022). Mindful eating: what we know so far, Nutr Bull 47(2: 168-185. https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.12559
