Mindful Eating Insights

Increase mindful eating with new Insights without self-criticism

Mindful eating involves eating with awareness, noting sensations around eating - a food's aroma, texture, flavor, awareness of the degree of hunger or satiety, as well as the social and physical environment. Mindful eating also incorporates awareness of thoughts and emotions at meal times.

"Mindless eating" is the opposite of mindful eating: It represents automatic eating without being fully aware of portion sizes, or the textures and flavors of foods. Mindless eating all too often leads to overeating and unwanted weight gain as well as remorse and guilt, with thoughts like, “There I go again,” or “I’m such a failure.” Here is a more fruitful way to achieve mindful eating.

Use a Guilt-free evaluation to achieve Mindful Eating

To switche to mindful eating, identify your thoughts and feelings around eating.

Relfection on the outcome of your actions without self-criticism is the heart of a Guilt-free evaluation.There was no "right" or "wrong" choice for mindful eating.

Let’s see how a Guilt-free evaluation of choices can lead to mindful eating:

Your eating choices could yield three outcomes on mindful eating offering fresh perspectives. (It's helpful to record your reflections on mindful eating in an Insight Journal.)

Reflective Outcome #1.  You stayed aware of what you ate, and experienced Mindful Eating.

Insight-building: What thoughts or feelings emerged by staying aware? These new Insights can help strengthen self-confidence to eat mindfully with the next food-related challenge.

Reflective Outcome #2. You intended to eat mindfully… But you ended up eating on autopilot anyway- unaware of flavors, aromas or textures or thoughts and feelings.

Insight-building: You might be tempted to feel guilt and remorse at not following through. Yet you wanted a new outcome - mindful eating.

You now have an opportunity for self-awareness for mindful eating. You can generate new Insights… by understanding what happened. Were you preoccupied with thoughts or feelings? What will you do to increase your self-awareness at the next meal?

Reflective Outcome #3. You decided against mindful eating.

Insight-building: Your decision not to change your eating pattern offers opportunity for feedback, not failure. You can discover powerful Insights even when you operate on autopilot.

Candidly explore the reasons why you did not choose mindful eating. Were there thoughts or feelings connected with overeating?

Do these reasons keep you trapped in old habits? Perhaps it's time to ask, "What do I truly desire?" Honestly answering this question, can reveal multiple opportunities for new choices and mindful eating.

With reflective outcomes #2 and #3, you might be tempted to feel guilty and think you “failed" at mindful eating. However, when you examine underlying thoughts, emotions, attitudes and beliefs, Insights create a bridge to new learning, new awareness, and new solutions without guilt or judgment.

The route to mindful eating can be challenging. You might use additional resources such as trusted friends, supportive family members, and skilled professionals. Consider joining an Insight-based peer support circle.  Go to the Insight Circle tab to discover how to start a mindful eating support group.

The Bottom Line: Guilt-free evaluation and insight building represent powerful catalysts to achieve mindful eating.