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Have you ever sat watching television with a bag of potato chips and been surprised to discover the bag empty at the end of your show? If so, you know what it’s like to eat without realizing how much—or sometimes what—you’re eating. If this is a habit you’d like to break, mindful eating can help.
Mindful eating is derived from a concept known as mindfulness, which involves cultivating a full awareness of what’s going on within and around you. Mindful eating focuses on bringing attention to the present moment so you are able to wholly perceive, nonjudgmentally, what you are eating. Although weight loss can be a benefit of mindful eating, it is not the main goal.
“It’s important to be fully aware of eating and enjoying the food that's right in front of you,” says Frank Chae, MD, a bariatric surgeon with Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado. Doing so may help you eat less and savor your meals more.
Find out how mindful eating works and learn ways to eat more consciously, increase your enjoyment of food, and, in some cases, help manage your weight.
Sources: Kabat-Zinn, J. Wherever You Go, There Yo... + 12
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