Mindful eating can help improve your relationship with food. This means being more present when you're eating, slowing down and savouring each bite. It also means not judging yourself or feeling guilty after eating.

By being more mindful, you can learn to eat what your body really needs, and not what your emotions might be pushing you to eat.

What is mindful eating and why should you consider it?

Mindful eating is a form of mindfulness that can help you lose weight and keep it off in the long term. It’s not a diet, but a way of learning to eat slowly and deliberately, savouring every bite and paying attention to how food makes you feel. This is a more holistic approach to our relationship with food that considers the physical, emotional and even spiritual side of a meal. When you eat mindfully, you are more likely to recognize when you are full and less likely to overeat.

From a pathophysiologic point of view, our body requires mindful eating to maintain balance. The human body is in a constant state of flux with shifting hormones, neurotransmitters and energy vying for our attention. In this day and age, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of work, family and social obligations which all contribute to mindless eating.

The problem is that when we mindlessly eat, we may not be providing our body with the proper nutrients at the right time, which can lead to weight gain, hormonal imbalances and disease.

The science of satiety

Satiety is the feedback mechanism that lets us know when to stop eating. It’s regulated by a complex system of hormones, neurotransmitters and nerve signals that originate in the gut and send messages to the brain to let us know when we’re full.[1, 2]

Considering the gut contains approximately 500 million neurons, the gut-brain connection is key to understanding how satiety works.[3] The brain and the gut are constantly communicating with each other through a network of nerves, hormones and neurotransmitters. This includes transmission through one of the longest nerves in the body, the vagus nerve. Interestingly enough, those with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn's disease seem to have reduced tone through the vagus nerve.[4]

This communication starts when we see, smell or think about food. This activates the digestive system and gets the whole process of digestion started. That includes the release of enzymes like salivary amylase which initiate the breakdown of carbohydrates in your food.

As food moves through the digestive system, different hormones are released that send satiety signals to the brain. For example, when the stomach starts to expand, it triggers baroreceptors that can detect stretch and contributes to the release of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin signals the brain that it’s time to eat and I have always remembered this by the phrase 'growlin' ghrelin'.

As the food moves into the small intestine, another hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK) is released. CCK signals the brain that we’re starting to feel full because its release is dependent on food being further into the digestive tract.[5] It helps stimulate digestive juices and enzymes like bile and pancreatic amylase to further break down fats and carbs.

These hormones and nerve signals work together to give us a feeling of satiety or fullness. When we feel satiated, it means that we’ve had enough food and we don’t need to eat anymore.

The benefits of mindful eating

When you eat mindfully, you are more likely to recognize when you are full and less likely to overeat. Mindful eating can also help you:

lose weight and keep it off in the long term
feel more satisfied after eating, leading to reduced calorie intake
enjoy your food more and better appreciate flavours and textures
reduce stress and anxiety around food
improve digestion and reduce the likelihood of indigestion and other digestive problems

How to start practicing mindful eating

If you’re new to mindfulness, start by paying attention to your breath for a few minutes each day. Once you’re comfortable with that, you can start to bring mindfulness to your eating habits.

When you’re ready to eat, sit down at a table and take a few deep breaths. Look at your food and really see it – notice its colour, texture, and smell. Then, take a small bite and chew slowly, savouring the flavour and texture of the food. Pay attention to how your body feels as you eat, and when you’re full, stop.

Dive deeper with a comprehensive stool analysis

Did you know your ND has access to advanced lab testing that breaks down everything happening in your gut?

One such test allows us to look at markers of digestion, absorption and metabolism. It also lets us peek at the species living in your gut which influence every part of your daily living. This is especially true in that gut microbes can generate important short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that influence weight management efforts and inflammation in the gut.[6] They are even found in the highly important blood-brain barrier, influencing mood and mental health.[7]

With each passing week, dozens of new studies looking at the microbiome are released. A quick search of “microbiome” on PubMed, one of the most prominent sites for medical literature, shows the exponential rise in the data. This is why your healthcare provider needs to discuss gut health in every condition, or refer to someone who knows like your ND.

Other tips for making mindful eating a part of your life

If you find yourself mindlessly snacking or overeating, there are a few things you can do to get back on track:

Take a break from whatever you’re doing and sit down to eat.
Put away any distractions, such as your phone or TV, and focus on your food.
Eat slowly and deliberately, savouring every bite.
Pay attention to your hunger cues and stop eating when you’re full.
Avoid eating when you’re not hungry, such as when you’re bored or emotional.

Mindful eating takes practice, but it can be a helpful tool for managing your weight in the long term. If you’re struggling to lose weight or keep it off, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about other weight loss strategies that may be right for you.

FAQs about mindfulness and food

What are the hormones that affect how full we feel?

There are many hormones and neurotransmitters involved in the process of satiety, but these are the three main ones.

Ghrelin is known as the “hunger hormone” because it is released when the stomach is empty and signals the brain that it’s time to eat. Ghrelin levels start to rise before mealtimes and peak just before we eat. After we eat, ghrelin levels start to fall and stay low until the next meal.
Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a hormone that is released when fat and protein are detected in the small intestine. CCK signals the brain that we’re starting to feel full. It also slows down gastric emptying, which means it takes longer for food to leave the stomach and enter the small intestine. This delay contributes to a feeling of fullness.
Leptin is another hormone that is involved in satiety. Leptin is released by fat cells and signals to the brain that we have enough energy stored in our bodies and don’t need to eat.

Get to know your gut

References

Woods, Stephen C. "Gastrointestinal satiety signals I. An overview of gastrointestinal signals that influence food intake." American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 286.1 (2004): G7-G13.
Ahima, Rexford S., and Daniel A. Antwi. "Brain regulation of appetite and satiety." Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America 37.4 (2008): 811-823.
Mayer, Emeran A. "Gut feelings: the emerging biology of gut–brain communication." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 12.8 (2011): 453-466.
Pellissier, Sonia, et al. "Relationship between vagal tone, cortisol, TNF-alpha, epinephrine and negative affects in Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome." PloS one 9.9 (2014): e105328.
Miller, Laurence J., et al. "Roles of Cholecystokinin in the Nutritional Continuum. Physiology and Potential Therapeutics." Frontiers in Endocrinology 12 (2021): 684656.
Ríos-Covián, David, et al. "Intestinal short chain fatty acids and their link with diet and human health." Frontiers in microbiology 7 (2016): 185.
Bourassa, Megan W., et al. "Butyrate, neuroepigenetics and the gut microbiome: can a high fiber diet improve brain health?." Neuroscience letters 625 (2016): 56-63.

The easy secret to improving your relationship with food.