Now that you know what mindful eating is and how it works, the next common question is: Why? There are actually many benefits to mindful eating, but here are some of the most important ones.
Change Your Relationship with Food
The first benefit you may notice when you start mindful eating is that you begin to improve your relationship with food. Having a bad relationship with food often comes from a history of dieting or restricting your food, whether it meant being a yo-yo dieter, or just constantly feeling guilty about the types of food you ate.
Mindful eating shifts the focus from the quality of your food or how much you are “supposed” to eat, and instead allows you to understand all food is food, all can be allowed, and there is no judgment.
Put a Stop to Emotional Eating
If you are someone that struggles with emotional eating, this can be a wonderful benefit for you. Mindful eating is often used by people who are dealing with overeating while being stressed, bored or having any emotion other than actual hunger.
When you start eating more mindfully, you become more aware of why you chose each meal or snack, and whether or not it was from true hunger, a craving, or just because you were bored or sad.
Become Familiar with Your Fullness Cues
Through mindful eating, you pay more attention to how your body feels while eating and can actually notice when you are starting to feel satisfied. People often eat so quickly and mindlessly, that they eat well past fullness without realizing it.
But when you eat mindfully, you are eating slower and paying much more attention to how you feel. Over time, you start noticing little signals that your body is just about ready to stop eating. This is hugely beneficial for a number of reasons, from preventing unnecessary weight gain and helping you to lose weight, to help you feel better overall.
Improve Your Digestion
It may also help to improve your digestion, since you will be eating slower and with more intention. Digestive issues are not always about what you eat, but your eating habits. People who tend to scarf down their food, often while watching their latest Netflix marathon, are much more likely to have digestive issues than people who take their time both in choosing what to eat, and knowing when to stop.