Mindful Eating: Science & Exercise Script

Science has shown that it’s not just what you eat that matters, but also how you eat it.

This article explains the science behind mindful eating and provides the script for a mindful eating exercise you can practice during your next meal.

Mindful eating is an antidote to many of the problems caused by modern fast-food and fast-casual trends.

Mindless Eating: The Fast-Casual Trend

Today, eating has been defined in part by the “fast-casual” trend (e.g., Chipotle), which followed the fast-food trend (e.g., McDonald’s). Although the calories coming from some fast-casual chains may be healthy for your body, how you consume that food is usually not.

While long, social meals are the norm in some cultures, many Westerners love to grab food on the go. Fast-food and now fast-casual dining means more (often nutrient-deprived) calories in a shorter amount of time.

In the 21st Century, we’ve seen an eating revolution that combines food processing with on-demand food delivery. Our culture is good at eating foods quickly (like smoothies) and having them delivered to us quickly (like drive-through McDonald’s and UberEats). This type of eating is a product of a consumer society: it provides delicious, instant gratification.

But there are three consequences to consider here:

You don’t enjoy food when you’re shoveling it in.
Eating on autopilot can lead to overeating.
Your digestive enzymes, which evolved to sync up with a slower method of eating, don’t have time to work their magic.

The Science of Eating Mindfully

Mindful eating solves all three of these issues. It requires you to pay close attention to the food you eat, really sensing the food, rather than mindlessly devouring it.

You train yourself to savor each bite, set your utensils down between bites, and chew until the food has fully dissolved. In this way, you can gain satisfaction from the process of eating, rather than just feeling satiated at the end.

This is not only better for your body, but it also makes the whole experience more enjoyable. Mindful eating can lead to an important insight: the pleasures of life, like food, are fleeting. It’s not about the end result of being fed, but rather the journey of eating.

Mindful eating also trains self-control, giving the Upstairs Brain (prefrontal cortex) authority over the Downstairs Brain (brainstem), which wants to shovel the food in quickly. This is also one of the primary reasons that mindful eating shows promise in treating eating disorders.[1]

By eating very deliberately, you may find that other areas of your life naturally become more conscious as well. You’re forcing yourself off of autopilot and into a new, improved mode of operating.

As a less understood but equally important merit, mindful eating makes you chew your food slowly and thoroughly. This allows digestive enzymes to function naturally and prevents you from eating too much.

Your gut has time to send signals to your brain, letting it know that you’re full. Hormonal messages sent by the body to the brain often don’t arrive for 20 minutes, so mindful eating allows you time to feel full.

This is also one of the primary reasons that mindful eating shows promise in treating eating disorders.[1]

Mindful eating also involves more chewing, which has a variety of benefits. The digestive process begins in your mouth, where salivary glands (containing lingual lipase) break down fats and amylase breaks down sugars.

Chewing tells the digestive tract to rev up for digestion, preparing a batch of stomach acid and signaling the pancreas to release a chemical cocktail into your small intestine.

Mindful eating aids in the digestive process, preventing weight gain and other problems.

The food you chew properly becomes more bioavailable and can even give you more energy. The small intestine can then suck more nutrients from smaller particles, which have a larger total surface area.

“Nature will castigate those who don't masticate." - Horace Fletcher

If food is not properly chewed, on the other hand, tiny bits of undigested food can enter the bloodstream through small holes in your gut, known as leaky gut.

Mindful Eating Exercise

How often are you fully focused on the food in your mouth, instead of just waiting to grab your next bite? Here’s the script for a mindful eating exercise that you can employ at your next meal.

Step 1: Observe your food.

With your meal in front of you, begin by observing the food on your plate, including colors and shapes.

Take a minute to cultivate a feeling of gratitude for this meal that your ancestors would’ve labored over for days. Think about where all of these various foods came from in the world, and all the effort that went into getting them onto your plate.

Step 2: Take your first bite.

Now take your first bite. Once the food is in your mouth, set your utensils down (if you’re using some) and bring full attention to your mouth. Savor the texture and flavor of the food.

You might also find it helpful to close your eyes to isolate the sensations in your mouth.

Step 3: Chew thoroughly.

Chew until the food is completely dissolved before swallowing. This may take 20 or more chews, but remain patient and enjoy the process.

Take your time and focus on appreciating what’s in your mouth, noticing if your thoughts try to jump to the next activity or bite. If your mind wanders, just gently bring it back to the sensations in your mouth.

Step 4: Repeat.

Now pick back up your utensils and repeat until the meal is complete.

Throughout this process, notice how the food affects your body and mind. By becoming more aware of what you're putting in your mouth, how it tastes, and how your body reacts to it, your relationship with food can change entirely.

P.S. — For guided mindful eating instruction and over 50 other meditation techniques, check out the FitMind meditation app. This app, created with the help of neuroscientists and monks, is designed for those who are serious about starting or deepening a meditation practice.