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. 2019 Aug;18(4):48–53.

Table 1.

Clinical Application

  1. Help patients identify stressors, along with antecedents and triggers, and frequency using a mindful-eating journal

  2. Have patients complete the Mindfulness Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) to identify strengths that can be leveraged and areas to develop further

  3. Utilizing motivational interviewing techniques, partner with patients to select mindful-eating practices from the chart below that align with their needs and readiness for change

Intervention Benefits Sample Exercises
Eating Slowly:
Thoroughly chewing food aids breaking down food into absorbable components via mechanical and enzymatic actions. Simultaneously, increased time spent on chewing fosters awareness of chewing, while also promoting identification and response to internal signals.

  • Mechanically breaks down food54

  • Salivary α-amylase begins starch digestion55

  • Lingual lipase begins dietary fat digestion56”

  • Helps mucous in saliva bind broken down food constituents, forming bolus & lubricating it for esophageal passage57

  • Promotes salivary enzymes involved in PSNS activity, provoking downstream digestive processes (e.g., pancreatic enzymes, peristalsis)

  • Part of cephalic phase of digestion—involves neural regulation of downstream gastric acid secretion—via cholinergic neurons, gastric distension, and intestinal peptides58

  • Chew each mouthful 30 times

  • Place fork down between bites

  • Take deep breaths between bites
Meditation:
Meditation and diaphragmatic breathing modulate the stress response.

  • Shifts nervous system toward PSNS dominance, supporting rest-and-digest state12,59,60

  • Listen to a guided meditation and engage in breath work before meals (Free videos are available online)
Hunger and Satiety:
Food choices and eating driven by hunger and satiety signals influence digestion.

  • Appreciate internal and external factors influencing awareness,61 food choices, and hunger-scale ratings

  • Use a hunger scale before eating

  • Answer self-inquiry questions (See Appendix A) in mindful-eating journal before meals to increase awareness of internal and external milieu
Engaging Senses:
Tasting food is one component of mindful eating. As sentient beings, all of the senses (e.g., smelling food, seeing food, touching food) are equally important.61,62

  • Distinguish food compounds that stimulate digestive secretions (e.g., saliva, gastric juices)

  • Identify emotions (e.g., fear of foods linked to previous experience of suboptimal digestion)

  • Suck on fresh lemon half to appreciate its sourness

  • Hold dark chocolate in mouth to appreciate its bitterness
External Environment:
The external environment characterizes emotions about eating and influences the nervous system.62

  • Foster a mindful-eating environment to help shift nervous system toward PSNS dominance

  • Use attractive plates, glasses, utensils

  • Clear table of items unrelated to meals

  • Remove electronic devices from room

  • Light a candle

(See Appendix A for gradual implementation process)
Additional Resources

  • Mindful Eating on the Go: Practices for Eating with Awareness, Wherever You Are by Jan Chozen Bays, MD

  • The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss by Marc David

  • Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food by Susan Albers, PsyD

  • The Mindfulness Diet by Doug Hanvey, MS