What is Mindful Eating?

To understand mindful eating, first you need to understand mindless eating.

The definition of mindless is to act without concern for consequences.  Mindless eating is a term Brian Wansink of Cornell University and author of Mindless Eating defined for reference of eating triggered by cues other than hunger.  Mindless eating could be therefore defined as eating without concern for consequences related to cues other than hunger.

A study published in 2009 estimated an average of 66 days to form a new habit but it could take anywhere from 18 to 254 days.  Drinking a daily glass of water became a habit very quickly but doing 50 sit-ups before breakfast required more perseverance.  Some may be more resistant to changing habits than others. It may take a person who wants to develop a relatively simple habit over two months of daily repetitions before the behavior becomes a habit. 

The first step to changing habits is to identify the behaviors that lead to mindless eating. 

They are many reasons for mindless eating, from internal to external cues.  Some examples of internal cues are

• stress


• anxious


• lonely


• bored


• depressed


• tired

Some examples of external cues are:

• watching TV


• social situations such as




• parties or holidays


• don’t stop eating until your plate is cleared


• or someone else is encouraging you to eat.

The next step is to recognize the cues causing you to eat mindlessly.
They may be ones mentioned above or for other reasons.  

1. Pick one or two habits that trigger mindless eating.


2.  Write down the behavior you want to change and the more desirable replacement behavior.


3. Post it in a highly visible location. 

After you have accomplished new habits to healthier behavior, you will be ready to make new goals until your eating habits are mostly mindful eating.   

Remember to be patient with yourself because new habits take time to form.

Guest post written by Andrea Wilhoit R.D., L.D.