Four Foundations of Eating Mindfully

The Four Foundations of Eating Mindfully

  1. Mindfulness of the Mind.
    • On a scale of 1-10, how aware am I at this moment?
    • Am I tasting every bite or am I mindlessly chomping away?
    • Observe the taste, texture, smell, and sound of food.
    • This helps to pay attention to what you are doing.
    • Identify whether you are mindlessly snacking or in touch with every single bite.
  2. Mindfulness of the Body.
    • Listen to your body. 
    • Do I pay attention when it says stop?
    • Or, do I ignore my body’s feedback? 
    • Identify how your body tells you it’s hungry and full. 
    • Pay attention to hunger pains, a rumbling stomach, your energy level, movement, body posture and muscle tension.
    • If you don’t respond your body could stop giving yor important information about how it is doing. 
    • Learn to know the difference between emotional hunger (stress eating) and physical hunger.
  3. Mindfulness of Feelings.
    • Mindfulness of feelings is noticing feelings that lead you to start and stop eating.
    • Anxiety, guilt, stress, comfort, boredom and pleasure are just a few. 
    • It’s important to get in touch with your emotions. If you don’t yet have a handle on your feelings,
    • learning to cope with your feelings may be more important than changing the types of foods you eat.
  4. Mindfulness of Thoughts.
    • Be mindful of your thoughts.
    • Observe “should” and “should not” thoughts, critical thoughts (I’m so fat!),
    • food rules, “good” and “bad” food categories. 
    • Notice how positive and negative thoughts sway your behavior. 
    • A thought is just a thought; you don’t have to respond to it.

Source:  The Centre for Mindful Eating