2777: Mindful Eating 101 - A Beginner's Guide by Adda Bjarnadottir with Healthline on Relationship with Food

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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Health Daily. Mindful Eating 101 – A Beginners Guide by Adda Bjarnadottir with Healthline.com. And I'm Dr. Neal.

[00:00:40] Hello, happy Tuesday to you. Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where we do something much different than the typical podcast. We simply find blogs and get permission from the websites to narrate them for you. Here on this show, I cover fitness, nutrition, stress management, weight management, and lots more.

[00:00:57] Now, mindful eating is a topic that comes up a lot. I hear about this topic all the time and people want to know more about it. And I'm sure you do too. So let's jump right in and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:13] Mindful Eating 101 – A Beginners Guide by Adda Bjarnadottir with Healthline.com.

[00:01:20] Mindful eating is a technique that helps you gain control over your eating habits. It has been shown to lead to weight loss, reduce binge eating, and help you feel better.

[00:01:28] I'm about to explain what mindful eating is, how it works, and what you need to do to get started.

[00:01:35] What is mindful eating?

[00:01:37] Mindful eating is based on mindfulness, a Buddhist concept.

[00:01:41] Mindfulness is a form of meditation that helps you recognize and cope with your emotions and physical sensations.

[00:01:47] It has helped treat many conditions, including eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and various food-related behaviors.

[00:01:54] Mindful eating is about using mindfulness to reach a state of full attention to your experiences, cravings, and physical cues when eating.

[00:02:03] So fundamentally, mindful eating involves eating slowly and without distraction,

[00:02:08] listening to physical hunger cues and eating only until you're satisfied,

[00:02:13] distinguishing between actual hunger and non-hunger triggers for eating,

[00:02:16] engaging your senses by noticing colors, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes,

[00:02:23] learning to cope with guilt and anxiety about food,

[00:02:26] eating to maintain overall health and well-being,

[00:02:29] noticing the effects food has on your feelings and figure,

[00:02:32] and lastly, appreciating your food.

[00:02:34] These things allow you to replace automatic thoughts and reactions

[00:02:38] with more conscious, healthier responses.

[00:02:41] Bottom line.

[00:02:42] Mindful eating relies on mindfulness, a form of meditation.

[00:02:45] Mindful eating is about developing awareness of your experiences,

[00:02:49] physical cues, and feelings about food.

[00:02:52] Why should you try mindful eating?

[00:02:55] In our fast-paced society, we face an abundance of food choices every day.

[00:02:59] On top of that, distractions have shifted our attention away from the actual act of eating

[00:03:03] and onto televisions, computers, and smartphones.

[00:03:06] Eating has become a mindless act, often done quickly.

[00:03:10] This can be problematic since it actually takes the brain up to 20 minutes

[00:03:13] to realize you're full.

[00:03:15] If you eat too fast, the fullness signal may not arrive until you've already eaten too much.

[00:03:20] This is very common in binge eating.

[00:03:22] By eating mindfully, you restore your attention and slow down,

[00:03:26] making eating an intentional act instead of an automatic one.

[00:03:29] Also, by increasing your recognition of physical hunger and fullness cues,

[00:03:33] you'll be able to distinguish between emotional and actual physical hunger.

[00:03:38] You'll also increase your awareness of triggers that make you want to eat,

[00:03:41] even though you're not really hungry.

[00:03:42] By knowing your triggers, you can create a space between them and the response.

[00:03:47] That gives you the time and freedom to actually choose your response.

[00:03:51] Bottom line.

[00:03:53] Mindful eating helps you distinguish between emotional and physical hunger.

[00:03:56] It also increases your awareness of food-related triggers

[00:03:59] and gives you the freedom to choose your response to them.

[00:04:03] Mindful eating and weight loss.

[00:04:05] It is a well-known fact that most weight loss programs don't work in the long term.

[00:04:10] Around 85% of obese individuals who lose weight

[00:04:13] return to or exceed their initial weight within a few years.

[00:04:17] Binge eating, emotional eating, external eating,

[00:04:20] and eating in response to food cravings have been linked to weight gain

[00:04:23] and weight regain after successful weight loss.

[00:04:27] Chronic exposure to stress may also play a large role

[00:04:29] in overeating and the development of obesity.

[00:04:32] The vast majority of studies agree that mindful eating helps you lose weight

[00:04:36] by changing eating behaviors and reducing stress.

[00:04:39] A six-week group seminar on mindful eating among obese individuals

[00:04:43] resulted in an average weight loss of nine pounds, or four kilograms,

[00:04:47] during the seminar and the 12-week follow-up period.

[00:04:51] Another six-month seminar resulted in an average weight loss of 26 pounds,

[00:04:55] or 12 kilograms,

[00:04:56] without any regained weight in the following three-month period.

[00:04:59] By changing the way you think about food,

[00:05:02] the negative feelings that may be associated with eating

[00:05:04] are replaced with awareness, improved self-control, and positive emotions.

[00:05:09] When unwanted eating behaviors are addressed,

[00:05:11] the chances of long-term weight loss success are increased.

[00:05:15] Bottom line.

[00:05:16] Mindful eating may be very helpful with weight loss,

[00:05:19] changing eating behaviors,

[00:05:20] and reducing the stress associated with eating.

[00:05:24] Mindful eating and binge eating.

[00:05:26] Binge eating involves eating a large amount of food

[00:05:29] in a short period of time,

[00:05:31] mindlessly and without control.

[00:05:32] It has been linked to eating disorders and weight gain,

[00:05:36] and one study showed that almost 70% of binge eaters are obese.

[00:05:40] Interestingly, mindful eating has been shown

[00:05:42] to drastically reduce the severity and frequency of binge eating.

[00:05:46] One study found that after a six-week group intervention

[00:05:49] in obese women,

[00:05:51] binge eating episodes decreased from four

[00:05:53] to one and a half times per week.

[00:05:55] The severity of each episode also decreased.

[00:05:58] Bottom line.

[00:05:59] Mindful eating can be helpful in preventing binge eating.

[00:06:02] It can reduce both the frequency of binges

[00:06:05] as well as the severity of each binge eating episode.

[00:06:08] Mindful eating and unhealthy eating behaviors.

[00:06:11] In addition to being an effective treatment for binge eating,

[00:06:14] mindful eating methods have also been shown

[00:06:16] to reduce emotional eating,

[00:06:18] which is eating in response to certain emotions.

[00:06:21] It's also been shown to reduce external eating,

[00:06:23] which is eating in response to environmental food-related cues,

[00:06:27] such as the sight or smell of food.

[00:06:29] Unhealthy eating behaviors like these

[00:06:31] are the most commonly reported problems

[00:06:33] among obese individuals.

[00:06:35] Mindful eating gives you the skills you need

[00:06:37] to deal with these impulses.

[00:06:38] It puts you in charge of your responses

[00:06:40] instead of you acting on them without thought.

[00:06:43] Bottom line.

[00:06:44] Mindful eating may effectively treat

[00:06:46] common unhealthy eating behaviors

[00:06:48] like emotional and external eating.

[00:06:51] How to practice mindful eating.

[00:06:54] To practice mindfulness,

[00:06:55] you'll need a series of exercises and meditations.

[00:06:58] Many people find it helpful to attend a seminar

[00:07:01] or an online course or a workshop

[00:07:02] on mindfulness or mindful eating.

[00:07:05] However, there are many simple ways to get started,

[00:07:07] some of which can have powerful benefits on their own.

[00:07:10] For example, eat more slowly and don't rush your meals.

[00:07:14] Chew thoroughly.

[00:07:16] Eliminate distractions by turning off the TV

[00:07:18] and putting down your phone.

[00:07:20] Eat in silence.

[00:07:21] Focus on how the food makes you feel.

[00:07:24] Stop eating when you're satisfied.

[00:07:27] Ask yourself why you're eating.

[00:07:28] Are you actually hungry?

[00:07:30] Are the foods you're eating healthy?

[00:07:32] To begin with, it's a good idea to pick one meal per day

[00:07:35] to focus on at least one of these points.

[00:07:37] Once you've got the hang of this,

[00:07:39] mindfulness will become more natural.

[00:07:41] Then you can focus on implementing these habits

[00:07:43] into more meals.

[00:07:44] Bottom line, mindful eating takes practice.

[00:07:48] Try to eat more slowly, chew thoroughly,

[00:07:50] remove distractions, and stop eating when you're full.

[00:07:54] Take home message.

[00:07:56] Mindful eating is a powerful tool

[00:07:57] to regain control of your eating.

[00:07:59] If you have failed with conventional

[00:08:01] quote-unquote diets in the past,

[00:08:03] then this is definitely something you should try.

[00:08:10] You just listened to the post titled

[00:08:11] Mindful Eating 101, A Beginner's Guide

[00:08:14] by Ada Bjarnadotter with Healthline.com.

[00:08:17] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:09:24] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:09:26] I think this one will be a bit controversial.

[00:09:29] One of my nutrition and public health heroes

[00:09:31] is Walter Willett over at the Harvard School of Public Health.

[00:09:34] Now, I'm probably gonna misquote him here,

[00:09:36] but here's what I remember

[00:09:38] about how he described adults in the US consuming food.

[00:09:42] He basically said,

[00:09:43] we run up to the trough,

[00:09:45] gorge ourselves in under 10 minutes,

[00:09:47] and then run away.

[00:09:48] That sounds like a very stressful eating experience, doesn't it?

[00:09:52] But it's not that far from the truth.

[00:09:54] When you think about it,

[00:09:55] the last meal you ate

[00:09:56] was probably consumed in under 10 minutes.

[00:09:59] Rarely do we take the time

[00:10:01] to think about the smells,

[00:10:02] the sights,

[00:10:03] the sounds,

[00:10:04] the textures,

[00:10:04] the tastes.

[00:10:06] Like anything else,

[00:10:07] this is a habit that needs to be formed.

[00:10:09] And trust me,

[00:10:10] I'm one of those people

[00:10:10] who likes to eat pretty quickly.

[00:10:12] But as the article I just read you mentioned,

[00:10:14] there's quite a bit of good data

[00:10:16] on the benefits of mindful eating.

[00:10:18] It's something that I continuously work towards.

[00:10:21] What I do is I try to put my utensil down

[00:10:23] in between each bite.

[00:10:24] That helps me slow down the process.

[00:10:27] So if Dr. Walter Willett

[00:10:29] from the Harvard School of Public Health

[00:10:30] is like my number one hero,

[00:10:32] that'd be like,

[00:10:33] he'd be like Batman to me.

[00:10:34] That's like my favorite superhero of all time.

[00:10:37] And then my second favorite

[00:10:39] would be Dr. Dean Ornish,

[00:10:41] who kind of coined this term mindful eating.

[00:10:43] I wouldn't say Dr. Dean Ornish is like Robin.

[00:10:46] That's not cool enough.

[00:10:47] But he'd be like Superman.

[00:10:49] Definitely on the same playing field

[00:10:51] as Dr. Walter Willett.

[00:10:52] And so if you ever want more resources

[00:10:54] on mindful eating

[00:10:55] or the benefits of mindful eating,

[00:10:57] you can also check out Dr. Dean Ornish.

[00:11:00] All right, that'll do it for the Tuesday episode.

[00:11:02] Thank you for being here and listening every day.

[00:11:04] I'll be back here tomorrow

[00:11:05] where your optimal life awaits.