Savor the Moment: A Dietitian’s Guide to Mindful Eating

Originally published at https://meredithmishan.com/mindful-eating/

Imagine the warm, comforting scent of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, the way the gooey chocolate melts on your tongue, or the first sip of coffee in the morning, rich and aromatic. These moments are more than just eating or drinking—they are experiences. But how often do we actually slow down and truly savor them?

As a registered dietitian nutritionist with 14 years of experience, I work with a wide variety of clients, each with unique challenges and goals. One tool that I consistently recommend to almost everyone is mindful eating. Why? Because its benefits extend far beyond just nutrition—it transforms our relationship with food, our bodies, and our overall well-being.

Table of Contents

• The Benefits of Mindful Eating
• Mindful Eating Questionnaire: How Mindful Is Your Eating?Section 1: Yes/No QuestionsSection 2: Frequency-Based QuestionsHow to Interpret Your Results
• What is Mindfulness?
• Chocolate Mindfulness Meditation
• Jewish Connections to Mindful Eating
• Practical Tips for Mindful Eating
• Final Thoughts

The Benefits of Mindful Eating

Practicing mindful eating can lead to:

• Better blood sugar control (1, 2, 3)
• A healthier weight (4)
• Reduced binge eating (5)
• Less anxiety around food (5)
• Fewer digestive issues (6)
• Greater satisfaction and enjoyment from food (7, 8)
• More mindfulness in other areas of life

Mindful Eating Questionnaire: How Mindful Is Your Eating?

Complete this short mindful eating questionnaire to assess your level of mindfulness around food.

Section 1: Yes/No Questions

Answer yes or no to the following:

• Do you ever watch TV while eating?
• Do you ever scroll on your phone or use social media while eating?
• Do you ever work or read while eating?
• Have you ever realized you finished your meal without remembering eating it?
• Have you ever been surprised that you’ve reached the bottom of a snack bag without noticing?
• Do you ever eat without really tasting the food?
• Do you ever eat because of boredom, stress, or emotions rather than physical hunger?
• Do you often eat quickly, finishing your meal in under 10 minutes?
• Do you ever feel physically full but not actually satisfied after eating?
• Do you ever feel guilty after eating certain foods?

Section 2: Frequency-Based Questions

For each statement in the mindful eating questionnaire above, consider how often this happens: (All the time / Most meals / About half the time / Rarely / Never)

How to Interpret Your Results

• If you answered “yes” to many questions in Section 1 and marked “all the time” or “most meals” in Section 2, you may often eat mindlessly.
• If you answered “rarely” or “never” in Section 2, you likely have strong mindful eating habits.
• If your responses were mixed, you may be mindful sometimes but could benefit from improving awareness and presence during meals.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present, aware, and engaged in the moment without judgment. When applied to eating, it means:

• Eating slowly and without distraction
• Savoring each bite
• Listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues
• Distinguishing between physical hunger and emotional eating
• Engaging all your senses in the eating experience
• Coping with guilt and anxiety around food
• Eating in a way that nourishes both body and soul
• Practicing gratitude for the food on your plate

Chocolate Mindfulness Meditation

One simple exercise to develop mindful eating skills is the chocolate mindfulness meditation:

1. First, take a deep breath. Slowly exhale, releasing any tension in your body.
2. Take a small piece of chocolate and observe it carefully—consider its texture, color, shape, weight.
3. Smell it deeply, appreciating its aroma. Does it smell sweet? Bitter? Earthy? Does the scent trigger any memories or physical sensations for you?
4. Place it in your mouth but don’t chew immediately. Let it slowly melt, focusing on the taste, texture, and sensations it creates. How does it feel in your mouth? Where in your mouth do you taste it? What is the consistency? Does the flavor change as it melts?
5. Slowly start to chew the chocolate. Is it creamy? Sweet? Bitter? Chew slowly and mindfully while you savor each bite.
6. When ready, swallow the chocolate. Notice the sensations as it moves down your throat. Pay attention to any lingering taste in your mouth. Fully experience and appreciate the aftertaste.
7. Questions to ask yourself: How was this different than the way you normally eat chocolate? What did you notice during the exercise? Any thoughts on how you can apply this to other areas of your life?

Jewish Connections to Mindful Eating

Judaism provides a beautiful framework for mindfulness, especially when it comes to eating. Consider Tu Bishvat, known as the birthday of the trees, and a time when the earliest blooms start to appear.

We often go through life so distracted and busy that it would be easy to miss this first sign that spring is coming if it weren’t for our calendars!

Just as we must slow down to notice the first delicate blooms of the season, we must also be present in our daily lives to appreciate the opportunities for mitzvot around us.

Judaism inherently promotes mindful eating through several practices.

• Kashrut (kosher laws) encourages awareness of what we consume and it how aligns with our values. We are taught that we can’t just eat whatever we want, whenever we want. We must mindfully decide what and when we are going to eat.
• Brachot (blessings) said before and after eating cultivate gratitude by prompting us to pause and acknowledge the ultimate Source of our food and all things.
• Elevating the physical — we are taught that we are able to elevate the physical to a higher, spiritual level when we do things with intention. For example, we can set the intention when we eat mindfully that we are eating to have the energy to serve G-d, whether by learning afterwards or by treating our fellow humans with kindness or having the energy to raise children who are loving and enjoy keeping the mitzvot.

When we eat with intention, gratitude, and spiritual awareness, even the simplest meal becomes meaningful.

Practical Tips for Mindful Eating

Here are 10 simple ways to start incorporating mindful eating into your life:

1. Take a deep breath before eating to center yourself.
2. Eliminate distractions (TV, phone, work) during meals.
3. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly.
4. Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues.
5. Engage all your senses while eating.
6. Sit down to eat, rather than eating on the go.
7. Notice how different foods make you feel physically and emotionally.
8. Practice gratitude for your food.
9. Use smaller plates or serving sizes to encourage portion awareness.
10. Start with one small mindful eating habit and build from there.

Final Thoughts

Mindful eating is more than just a diet trend—it’s a powerful way to reconnect with food, your body, and even your spirituality. By slowing down and engaging with the eating experience, you can improve digestion, reduce stress, and find more joy in every bite.

If you’d like to learn more about mindful eating or have other nutrition and health concerns, I’d love to help! I offer private counseling sessions and group talks to support your journey toward a healthier, more mindful relationship with food. Contact me for in-person or online nutrition consultations.

May mindful eating bring you greater enjoyment, satisfaction, and well-being!

1. Chamhuri, N. H., Mohd Tohit, N., Azzeri, A., Chamhuri, N., & M Alias, S. R. (2022). Age and fasting blood sugar levels are associated factors for mindful eating among Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients during COVID-19 pandemic confinement.?PloS one,?17(9), e0274327. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274327
2. Youngwanichsetha, S., Phumdoung, S., & Ingkathawornwong, T. (2014). The effects of mindfulness eating and yoga exercise on blood sugar levels of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.?Applied nursing research : ANR,?27(4), 227–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2014.02.002
3. Mason, A. E., Epel, E. S., Kristeller, J., Moran, P. J., Dallman, M., Lustig, R. H., Acree, M., Bacchetti, P., Laraia, B. A., Hecht, F. M., & Daubenmier, J. (2016). Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindful eating, sweets consumption, and fasting glucose levels in obese adults: data from the SHINE randomized controlled trial.?Journal of behavioral medicine,?39(2), 201–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9692-8
4. Fuentes Artiles, R., Staub, K., Aldakak, L., Eppenberger, P., Rühli, F., & Bender, N. (2019). Mindful eating and common diet programs lower body weight similarly: Systematic review and meta-analysis.?Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity,?20(11), 1619–1627. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12918
5. Godfrey, K. M., Gallo, L. C., & Afari, N. (2015). Mindfulness-based interventions for binge eating: a systematic review and meta-analysis.?Journal of behavioral medicine,?38(2), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-014-9610-5
6. Cherpak C. E. (2019). Mindful Eating: A Review Of How The Stress-Digestion-Mindfulness Triad May Modulate And Improve Gastrointestinal And Digestive Function.?Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.),?18(4), 48–53.
7. Brian P. Meier, Allison Romano, Samantha Kateman, Rachel Nori, Less is more: Mindfulness, portion size, and candy eating pleasure,Food Quality and Preference, Volume 103, 2023, 104703, ISSN 0950-3293.
8. Hong, P.Y., Lishner, D.A. & Han, K.H. Mindfulness and Eating: An Experiment Examining the Effect of Mindful Raisin Eating on the Enjoyment of Sampled Food.?Mindfulness?5, 80–87 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0154-x