It used to be the summer of brats. Now TikTok has spoken and we are all throwing that attitude out the window and instead being very low key, very mindful, very stylish and very respectful, ready for fall.
It’s a weird trend, but when it comes to nutrition, this attitude can have real health benefits, according to registered nutritional therapist Catherine Jeans. It all comes down to mindful eating.
“Mindful eating is about being more conscious of what we put in our mouths and consume, and also how we eat,” said Jeans Newsweek. “It allows us to better sense when we feel full, how well we are chewing and when it is time to put down the fork and stop eating.”
Mindful eating is a nutritional strategy with historical roots. In the past, health experts recommended chewing each bite of food a certain number of times before swallowing it to improve digestion.
The modern form of mindful eating has more connections to meditation, grounding and therapeutic practices. It is related to those strategies that might be familiar to people with anxiety or dissociative disorders, where sufferers engage with the outside world to achieve a state of calm.
Similarly, mindful eating is a nutritional strategy that involves engaging the senses, eating slowly, and focusing on the process of eating. A mindful eater may ask themselves: What does my meal look like? What does it smell like? How does it feel in my mouth? What is the temperature, the texture, the taste?
Mindful eating also means chewing slowly and mindfully – perhaps even modestly – in an environment free of screens or distractions, ideally surrounded by loved ones.
Many of us eat quickly when we are distracted or stressed, Jeans explained.
“We live in a fast-paced world and do everything so quickly, including eating,” she said. “It’s one of the biggest problems I see in my hundreds of patients in the clinic and a big factor in the symptoms of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and other intestinal disorders.”
“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 sitting at our desk and an email comes in that makes us feel stressed, our body doesn’t prioritize the need to release digestive enzymes and other substances needed for good digestion. Everything prioritizes the stress response and diverts blood away from our digestive system.”
The stress response is a physical state in which the body is fueled by stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. We may feel more nervous, alert, reactive or tense, and our body prioritizes sending energy to the muscle groups that could help us in the event of danger.
This means that our digestive system can become neglected. Therefore, many nutrition experts recommend aiming for a state of rest and digestion when eating. Slower and calmer movements can help activate this state, also called the parasympathetic nervous system.
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Chewing more slowly not only helps us feel calmer, but can also improve our digestion, according to Jeans.
“When we eat slower, we are likely to chew better and this is the first phase of optimal digestion,” she said.
“When we eat quickly, we often don’t chew properly. As a result, mechanical digestion in the mouth does not take place and larger food particles enter our stomach and intestines. This makes it more difficult to filter out all the valuable vitamins, minerals and macronutrients.”
This can also lead to indigestion, she explained, which “can cause digestive discomfort such as bloating, wind and cramping.” She added that it can “reduce food intolerances” and “support a healthier balance in the gut microbiome.”
Mindful eating can even help with portion control and weight management.
“It takes a while for our satiety hormones and signals to kick in,” Jeans said. “If we eat too quickly, we may simply not be able to recognize when we’ve had enough.”
“(With mindful eating) we may be able to better control portion size because we are more aware of when we are full.”
Eating together is another part of mindful eating that is both fun and beneficial, Jeans said, adding: “When we eat together, we tend to eat more slowly because we are talking and taking our time with our food.”
Mindful eating is not for everyone. Research varies on its effectiveness. A 2022 study concludes that an individualized approach should be taken when deciding whether to use mindful eating strategies.
Neurodiverse people may have difficulty eating using these techniques, Jeans says. Instead, they may benefit from being “more conscious of what they put on their plate.”
For people with an eating disorder or disordered eating, “conscious eating is not an immediate priority,” she added.
Do you have a tip for a food story that Newsweek should be treated? Is there a nutritional issue that concerns you? Let us know at [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice and your story could appear in Newsweek.
References
Tapper, K. (2022). Mindful Eating: What We Know So Far, Nutr Bull 47(2):168-185. https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.12559
