Mindful Eating at Home
Jill Verchota-Luce, MPH, RDN, LD, IFNCPHealth Management Consultant
May 2020
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
On the menu today:
• Mindless eating triggers
• Strategies to help you eat
more mindfully
• Healthy eating at home
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Take a Pause.
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Mindful Eating Core Principals
Being aware of…
1. Nourishment foods provide
2. Choosing enjoyable and nutritious foods
3. Acknowledge food preferences nonjudgmentally
4. Recognize and honor physical hunger and fullness
5. Using wisdom to guide eating decisions
Source: Lily Hills, The Mindful Eating Method
https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p42.shtml
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Mindful eating can help you:
• Cut down on portions
• Avoid stress eating
• Reduce post-meal gas, bloating, discomfort
• Enjoy food, not associate your eating with shame
https://www.fammed.wisc.edu/files/webfm-
uploads/documents/outreach/im/handout-
MindfulEating-Final.pdf
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Mindless Eating Triggers
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Mindless Eating Triggers: Stress
Stress
↑ cortisol “Stress
hormone”
Crave ↑ fat, ↑ sugar foods
Eat unhealthy foods
↑ dopamine & adrenaline
↑ cravings; eat more to satisfy
Tryon MS, Carter CS, Decant R, Laugero KD. Chronic stress
exposure may affect the brain's response to high calorie food cues
and predispose to obesogenic eating habits. Physiol Behav.
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Mindless Eating Triggers: Environment
• Family
• Friends
• Packages
• Plates
• Names
• Numbers
• Labels
• Lights
• Colors
• Shapes
• Smells
• Containers
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Mindless eating triggers:
Extra LARGE stale
movie theater
popcorn with butter
Wansink B, Kim J (2005),”Bad Popcorn in Big Buckets:Portion Size
Can Influence Intake as Much as Taste”, Journal of Nutrition
Education and Behavior, 37,112-120.
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Mindless eating triggers:
Bottomless
soup!
http://www.brianwansink.com/bottomless-bowls.html
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Mindless eating triggers
Seafood filet
Red beans with rice
Chocolate cake
Succulent Italian Seafood
Filet
Traditional Cajun Red Beans
with Rice
Belgium Black forest
Chocolate Cake
Wansink, et al. (2005). How descriptive food names bias sensory
perceptions in restaurants. Food Quality and Preference
Volume 16, Issue 5, July 2005, Pages 393-400 Retrieved online at
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09503293040009
41
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Mindless eating triggers
Narrow, 22 oz. glass
Short, wide 22 oz. glass
Wansink, B. et al. (2005). Shape of glass and amount of alcohol poured:
comparative study of effect of practice and concentration. BMJ. Retrieved
online from http://mindlesseating.org/pdf/Pouring-BMJ_2005.pdf
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Mindful Eating Strategies
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/04/19/eating-more-enjoying-
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Overcome Triggers: mindful eating at home
Make space for: undistracted
mealtimes, food prep
Weekly grocery trips – stock
cabinets with healthier options
Pre-portion snacks and meals
Make fruits and veggies visible
Healthier take-out and delivery
options
Use smaller plates and bowls
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Mindful eating core principals
Being aware of…
1. Nourishment foods provide
2. Choosing enjoyable and nutritious foods
3. Acknowledge food preferences nonjudgmentally
4. Recognize and honor physical hunger and fullness
5. Using wisdom to guide eating decisions
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Food tracking
• What?
• How much?
• When?
• Where? & With
Who?
• What you’re
doing?
• How you’re
feeling?
• Hunger/fullness?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-keep-a-food-diary-2019013115855
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Electronic tracking tools
• MyFitnessPal
• See How You Eat
• MealLogger
• MyPlate
• Ate Food Diary
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Rate your hunger: 0-10
0 = Starving
1 = Physically hungry
2
3
4
5 = Satisfied
6
7
8
9
10 = Thanksgiving stuffed
https://www.fammed.wisc.edu/files/webfm-uploads/documents/outreach/im/handout-MindfulEating-Final.pdf
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“Am I hungry?©”
Why do I
eat?
When do I
want to eat?What do I
eat?
How do
I eat?
How much do
I eat?
Where do I
invest my
energy?
https://amihungry.com/
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Change your biochemistry
1. Close your eyes
2. Sit up tall
3. Smile
4. Place hand on heart
”I’m not hungry
now, but when I
do feel hungry,
I’ll eat!”
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Slow down at meals
• Pause before eating
• Set a timer
• Eat with non-dominant
hand
• Take small bites and
chew thoroughly
• Wait 15-20 minutes
before refilling your
plate
https://www.fammed.wisc.edu/files/webfm-uploads/documents/outreach/im/handout-MindfulEating-Final.pdf
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There’s an app for that!
• Am I Hungry? – Tune into hunger cues to eat more
mindfully and less emotionally
• Insight Timer, Headspace and Calm – Guided
meditations
Washington Post article: Apps take a mindful approach to eating,
activity. 9/18/2019.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/instead-of-
tracking-calories-and-steps-try-these-5-mindful-
apps/2019/09/16/b58f05f2-d62e-11e9-9343-
40db57cf6abd_story.html?wpisrc=nl_sb_smartbrief
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Try it out at home for 3 days
• Pause.
• Am I hungry?
• Rate hunger before, during and after each meal for 3
days using a scale of 0-10
• Include any physical cues you’re feeling
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In Summary: Mindful Eating Strategies
• Self monitoring
• Stress management
• Stimulus control
• Problem solving
• Cognitive restructuring
• Social support
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Healthy Eating at Home
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/shopping-food-during-covid-19-pandemic-information-consumers
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Easy pantry meals
• Chili (traditional or white) and soups
• Pineapple BBQ chicken
• Burrito bowls
• Turkey taco skillet
• Pasta with olive oil & frozen veggies or marinara sauce
• Teriyaki chicken rice or stir-fry of your choice
• Garlic noodles with broccoli and protein of choice
• Fish and roasted potatoes
www.budgetbytes.com
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Make your Fruits & Veggies Last!
Fresh:
• Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions - cabinet
• Cabbage, carrots – refrigerator drawer
• Winter squash – countertop
• Celery – wrap in foil
• Apples, oranges, grapefruit – refrigerator
• Herbs – in water
• Greens – paper towel
Frozen:
• Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, corn, green beans
• Pineapple, mango, melon, berries
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/how-to-keep-herbs-fresh/
www.budgetbytes.com
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Free cooking apps
• Project Foodie
• SideChef: Recipes & meal planner
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Free cooking websites
• https://www.deliaonline.com
– Go to: How to cook
• https://www.thekitchn.com/
– Go to: Sign up for cooking school
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/techniques
• https://cooking.nytimes.com/
– New! Self Quarantine recipe page
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Take action!
• Focus on one goal at a
time
• Select 1-3 small habit
changes
• Commit to the change
• Keep the plan relevant
• Relapse plan
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