Mindful Eating Helps Lose Weight

Temping Food from the Galapagos – Photo Jessica Freedman

A recent article on the Science Daily website indicated that mindful eating helps lose weight. A study at the Ohio State University showed that “mindful eating equals traditional education in lowering weight and blood sugar” for diabetes patients.

The report states,

Eating mindfully, or consuming food in response to physical cues of hunger and fullness, is just as effective as adhering to nutrition-based guidelines in reducing weight and blood sugar levels in adults with Type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests…

One treatment group followed an established diabetes self-management education program, with a strong emphasis on nutrition information. The other group was trained in mindful meditation and a mindful approach to food selection and eating. Both interventions, involving weekly group meetings, also recommended physical activity.

Researcher Carla Miller stated,

“We compared it to an intervention where mindful meditation was applied specifically to eating and food choices. This intervention group did not receive specific nutrition goals. We said we want you to really tune into your body before you eat. Take a few minutes to assess how hungry you are and make conscious choices about how much you’re eating. Stop eating when you’re full.”… [Read More…].

The people in the mindful eating program were trained in guided meditation to experience their feelings about food.

In a previous article titled, Meditation Practices for Mindful Eating, I wrote about how mindful eating was a consistent practice in Plum Village and all retreat organized by Plum Village and members of the global community of practitioners under the guidance of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Mindful eating falls into the realm of mindful consumption. Mindful consumption is the practice of choosing what you consume with skillful means.

Mindful consumption is the fifth of the Five Mindfulness Trainings offered by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh:

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I am committed to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films, and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society.

These and many other virtues of mindful eating can be learned easily and comfortably in my guided meditation, You Can Easily Lose Weight With Guided Meditation.

If you or anyone you know is interested in how mindful eating helps lose weight, please share this article.

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