Mindful eating is a technique that helps you better manage your eating habits by paying closer attention to your food and how it makes you feel. Being truly present and engaged while you eat is key to an enjoyable eating experience. Some of the benefits of mindful eating are:

• Better digestion and absorption of nutrients. When eating with awareness, you tend to chew food more thoroughly, which makes the food easier to digest and allows the body to absorb more nutrients.
• Food tastes better. When all of your attention is focused on the sensations of eating, flavors become much more dynamic and vibrant.
• Prevents overeating and “food hangovers”. When you eat mindfully, you are more likely to recognize when you are feeling satisfied, or when you are about 80% full, and stop eating. This can help avoid consuming excess calories and feeling uncomfortable after a meal .
• Improves your relationship with food. Mindful eating helps you rebuild your relationship with food by making eating less restrictive and judgmental, and more enjoyable and satisfying. It may also help reduce disordered eating behaviors and support weight loss  .
• Increases gratitude for food. Mindful eating encourages you to express gratitude for the meal, where the food came from, how it was prepared, and who prepared it. This can help improve the overall eating experience and your mood.

Bonus: Eating mindfully can even help your digestion. You’ve probably heard of “fight or flight”, but do you know about “rest and digest?” You can’t do them both at the same time. Your body makes Cortisol when it’s under stress, which puts digestion on the back burner. It’s frustrating, but your body doesn’t know the difference between the stress of running from a saber tooth tiger and the stress that comes from reading all the bad news headlines of the day. The last thing your body is concerned with is digestion.

On the other hand, when you’re not experiencing stressful influences, your body and rest and digest. So, putting aside distractions and allowing yourself a chance to eat in a calm, focused environment can prevent bellyaches!