02/08/2026
MINDFUL EATING
Verified Feb 8, 2026
Written By Thomas Webber, PA, CPT, PN2, Blogger
# Mindfulness
The term ‘mindful eating’ conjures up different ideas for different people… eating in silence, eating very slowly, eating healthy foods, or eating without distraction. While some of these techniques may help us eat mindfully, the notion of mindful eating misses the point.
Mindful eating is about applying the qualities of mindfulness to our eating, which means becoming aware of our present moment experience WITH kindness, non-judgement, and curiosity.
Mindfulness = present moment awareness + qualities of kindness, curiosity, and non-judgement
Let’s break this down.
Bringing awareness to our eating patterns
A key part of mindfulness is being fully present with our experience: being aware of where we are, what we’re doing, and how we’re feeling. Some people liken this to awakening to the present moment. This can entail a range of things when we apply it to our eating:
• Bringing awareness to the sensory experience of eating – the smells, tastes, flavours, and textures. By doing this, we can maximise the joy and satisfaction we get from food.
• Bringing awareness to sensations of hunger and fullness. By coming attuned to our bodies, we reconnect with the natural signals that let us know when we are hungry, what our bodies need, and when we’ve had enough.
• Becoming aware of our thoughts, judgements, and rules around food.
• Tuning into the connection between our emotions and eating. We get curious about patterns of stress eating, cravings, and emotional eating triggers.
• Becoming more aware of our eating habits, such as eating during certain activities, at a particular time, or in one specific way.
Becoming aware is the first step in empowering us to become the masters of our own health. It’s about shining a soft floodlight on our lives and seeing more clearly what is there.
Bringing kindness, curiosity, and non-judgment to our eating
The second part of mindful eating deals with the type of awareness that we bring.
So often, we approach our eating with harshness and self-criticism. We berate ourselves for eating ‘bad’ foods, feel guilty for letting go of control, or feel frustrated that we can’t lose weight.
Mindful eating offers us a different approach that is filled with warmth and compassion. Rather than approaching ourselves with judgment, we practise being curious observers of ourselves; rather than being harsh critics, we practice being kind friends. When we approach ourselves in this way, we can begin to see real shifts in our lives and our relationship with food.
This can be the total opposite of how we might otherwise approach our eating, which may include things like:
• Thinking about food throughout the day -> letting go of anxiety around eating
• Restricting ourselves, or following rigid rules and diets -> allowing ourselves to eat flexibly
• Bingeing or feeling out of control around food -> having a greater sense of ease and control
• Treating ourselves harshly, with criticism and self-judgement -> treating ourselves with love and kindness
• Feeling confused about which foods and eating patterns best support our health -> having an intuitive sense of which foods support and nourish us
Summary
Mindfulness brings a soft floodlight of present moment awareness into the interesting, challenging, and often tender arena of our eating patterns. It has a profound effect on our ability to work compassionately and patiently with our eating habits and to bring about lasting and meaningful change. This is opposed to the way we often treat ourselves with criticism, blame, guilt, and exasperation.
