Mindful Eating
By: Dawn Mulkern, MBA, RD, LD

by Dr. Jan Dean
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

While America’s dieting industry continues to sell citizens an endless list of its “latest and greatest” weight loss strategies, a quiet counter movement is teaching others how to use our birthright of inner wisdom to develop a life in harmony with food. Instead of restricting us, this natural approach fosters eating experiences of quality, relaxation and pleasure.

The key, says mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn, rests in taking time to be present to the eating experience. By taking our self off of society’s frenetic food conveyor belt, we can learn to slow down, to smell and appreciate the satisfying aromas, tastes and tactile experiences of a good meal. After so thoroughly enjoying a truly nutritious meal, our body likely will issue a deep-seated “thank you.” All of this assists in developing a mindful mindset.

Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “moment-to-moment awareness…purposefully paying attention,” tuning in to “observe the colors and textures of your food.” This means no distractions, no reading, watching television, driving in the car or hurrying. Kabat-Zinn suggests “slowing down your movements enough that you can watch the entire eating process carefully.” We can begin simply by taking time to be mindful of one meal a week. It can help to keep a “Mealtime Awareness Journal” in order to track these experiences.

A second aspect of any mindfulness activity includes a complementary practice of meditation, breathing exercises or yoga. Each teaches us to be present in the moment. Donald Altman, author of 12 Weeks to Mindful Eating and a board member with The Center for Mindful Eating (tcme.org), believes that “it is the power of the present moment, in the reflective pause, that change is possible.” Noticing our habitual behaviors, then, can offer infinite opportunities to make different choices.

Such practice also tends toward developing a deep-seated relaxation response, which reduces day-to-day stress. According to Dr. Daryl O’Conner, a researcher on the effects of stress and eating at University of Leeds, “Stress is one of the biggest culprits contributing to Americans’ present epidemic of weight gain and obesity.”

Third, any good diet, conscious or not, is aided and abetted by consciously increasing one or more pleasurable, nourishing activities not associated with food. Of course it’s healthy to enjoy food for its nourishing and pleasurable aspects notes Ronna Kabatznick, the author of Zen of Eating and a former psychological consultant to Weight Watchers International. She observes, however, that many of us use food as a form of nourishment well beyond our need for it as bodily fuel.

In her work Kabatznick points out that many use and abuse food in a poor, short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to satisfy emotional hungers. With no understanding of appropriate forms of sustenance we are left perpetually hungry. As Hale Sofia Schatz, nourishment educator and author of If the Buddha Came to Dinner suggests, “people have a tendency to feed their emotions” rather than pay attention to what they are hungry for. The challenge, according to Kabatznick is to “transform the emotional hungers that create eating problems into spiritual nourishment that creates inner peace.”

Thankfully, our willingness to face these unfulfilled hungers opens the doors to discovery of substantial answers that last. Studies associated with several leading U.S. universities have shown promising results in decreasing the frequency and magnitude of binge eating. Jean Kristeller, the key investigator in one such study, reports that “participants gained a greater sense of balance about eating and improved mood in just nine weeks.” Even better, these shifts in eating habits were still maintained four months later. She and her colleagues are now engaged in further studies as to how the mindful eating practices tested may help people achieve and maintain weight loss.

Ellyn Satter, a registered dietitian, family therapist, and the author of Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family, advocates a similar approach with what she calls “competent eating.” Satter agrees that enjoying the eating experience, not dietary restriction, is the preferred approach for both managing weight and affecting long-term health. She goes so far as to suggest that “weight is not the big issue.” Rather, she observes that “individuals become comfortable with how they eat,” and thus proposes specific ways to foster an improved relationship with food.

Unlike dieting, mindful eating is a life-long learning process, one that encourages ongoing curiosity, interest and success in forming a healthy relationship with food. Bringing awareness to our habits offers the first step toward changing them.

Jan Dean, Ph.D., is a life coach, licensed psychologist and yoga instructor in Little Rock. She teaches mindful eating practices and specializes in working with people with eating-related problems. She also counsels on other health and wellness issues from a holistic perspective. For information call 501-663-6894 or email drjandean@hotmail.com.