This post contains some of the best mindful eating quotes.
What Is Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating is a practice that involves paying deliberate and non-judgmental attention to the present moment while consuming food.
It emphasizes developing a greater awareness of the sensory experiences, thoughts, and emotions that arise during eating.
Here are some key aspects of mindful eating:
1. Present-Moment Awareness
Mindful eating encourages individuals to bring their attention and focus to the present moment while eating.
This involves being fully aware of the flavors, textures, smells, and colors of the food, as well as the physical sensations and signals from the body.
2. Non-Judgmental Attitude
Mindful eating promotes a non-judgmental attitude towards food choices and eating experiences.
It aims to reduce self-criticism or guilt associated with eating and fosters self-compassion and acceptance.
3. Listening to Hunger and Fullness Cues
Mindful eating encourages individuals to tune into their body’s hunger and fullness signals, allowing them to eat when hungry and stop when comfortably satisfied.
This helps to reconnect with internal cues instead of relying on external factors (e.g., portion sizes, time of day) to dictate eating behavior.
4. Emotional Awareness
Mindful eating also involves recognizing and acknowledging emotional triggers and responses related to eating.
This can help individuals differentiate between physical hunger and emotional hunger, allowing for more intentional and conscious choices around food.
5. Slowing Down
Mindful eating invites individuals to slow down the pace of eating, savoring each bite and taking the time to fully experience the food.
This can enhance satisfaction and enjoyment of meals, as well as promote better digestion.
Research suggests that practicing mindful eating can have several benefits, including improved portion control, increased satisfaction with meals, enhanced body awareness, and a healthier relationship with food.
It can be particularly helpful for individuals with disordered eating patterns, such as binge eating or emotional eating.
To incorporate mindful eating into your routine, start by bringing more awareness to your meals.
Take a few moments to observe the appearance, scent, and texture of your food before taking that first bite.
Chew slowly, savoring each mouthful, and pay attention to the flavors and sensations in your mouth.
Try to minimize distractions, like electronic devices or eating on the go, to fully engage with the experience of eating.
It may take time and practice to develop the habit of mindful eating, so be patient with yourself.
Mindful Eating Quotes
1. “Mindful eating is a way of life that allows you to normalize your attitude to food, create a comfortable eating pattern for yourself, and maintain optimal weight. And most importantly, this can be done without exhausting fasting, intense exertion, and endless diets!”— Ivan & Ann Kuznietsova
2. “Mindful eating teaches us to carefully answer questions such as: “Why am I eating?” “What am I eating?” “When do I eat?” “How much do I eat?” “How do I eat?””— Ivan & Ann Kuznietsova
3. “Not only does food provide the nutrients and energy we need to support our physical bodies; mindful eating can also help us touch the interdependent nature of all things—and can help us end our difficulty with weight.”— Thich Nhat Hanh
4. “Mindful eating is designed to redress this balance. Although it is an old practice, its applications in the modern world are widely recognized in terms of solving various struggles with food.”— Julie Brinker
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5. “[Mindful eating] is all about being more aware of the eating habits that you have developed and the sensations that you are feeling while eating. It also involves the emotional attachment that you have to food. This practice is more about these two things: what types of food you eat and how you eat them.”— Julie Brinker
6. “Mindful eating begins with our choice of what to eat and drink. We want to choose foods and drinks that are good for our health and good for the planet, in the modest portions that will help us control our weight.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
7. “Mindful eating means simply eating or drinking while being aware of each bite or sip. You can practice it at any meal, whether you are alone in your kitchen or with others in a crowded restaurant. You can even practice mindful drinking when you pause to take a sip of water at your desk.”— Thich Nhat Hanh
8. “Mindful eating breaks the stress cycle that is related to negative or compulsive eating. Since it is a proven stress reliever, mindfulness is now being taught by healthcare professionals to their patients. It must be noted that stress could result to a damaging relationship with food. So feeding both your mind and body with mindfulness will promote healing and relaxation.”— Julie Brinker
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9. “Mindful eating helps us deal not only with food but, of course, with our lives. With their desires, needs, feelings, relationships, thoughts, and life problems.”— Ivan & Ann Kuznietsova
10. “Mindful eating allows us to fully appreciate the sensory delight of eating and to be more conscious of the amount and nature of all that we eat and drink.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
11. “Starting to eat mindfully, you gradually, perhaps without noticing it yourself, will begin to eat only healthy food, prepared with love! It is the answer to one of the most critical questions: “What and when to eat?” It is necessary to eat precisely when you consciously want to eat, not drink (we have already discussed this issue with you). If you value food, eat mindfully, and only when you really want to eat—believe me, it will only benefit you.”— Ivan & Ann Kuznietsova
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12. “Moreover, mindful eating does not mean that a person should eat exclusively healthy foods. The categories “harmful,” “useful,” “right,” “wrong” are absent from this approach. The bottom line is that by consuming food mindfully, we teach the body to independently recognize what, when, and what quantities it needs.”—Ivan & Ann Kuznietsova
13. “Mindful eating practice examples: Focusing on my food will give me greater enjoyment during my meals. Choosing smaller portions will be better for the planet and will also help me curb my daily calorie intake.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
14. “Mindful eating is based on the ability to avoid automatism. You need to eat in moderation the food that you like, and not fill your stomach with anything. Enjoy your favorite food slowly. It is also necessary that all the nutrients needed for the body are present in your diet. Eat a variety of foods.”— Ivan & Ann Kuznietsova
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15. “Mindful eating is a good education. If you practice this way for some time, you will find that you will eat more carefully, and your practice of mindful eating will be an example for others. It is an art to eat in a way that brings mindfulness into our life.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
16. “Moderation is an essential component of mindful eating. Not only does making a conscious effort to choose smaller portions help you avoid overeating and weight gain; it is also less wasteful of your household food budget and our planet’s resources. Using a small dinner plate, no larger than nine inches across, and filling it only once can help you eat more moderately.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
17. “Mindful eating habit examples: I can have a silent cup of tea in the morning instead of spending my break calling a friend on my cell phone. I can tell my supervisor that I will be taking a full half hour for lunch instead of scarfing down lunch at my desk, and then make up that time later.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
18. “In mindful eating we are not comparing or judging. We are simply witnessing the many sensations, thoughts, and emotions that come up around eating. This is done in a straightforward, nononsense way, but it is warmed with kindness and spiced with curiosity.”—Jan Chozen Bays
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19. “Through mindful eating we can learn to be present when we eat. It seems so simple, to be aware of what we are eating, but somehow we have lost track of how to do it. Mindful eating is a way to reawaken our pleasure in simply eating, simply drinking.”—Jan Chozen Bays
20. “As you gradually increase your practice of mindful eating, you may find that you will be more in tune with your hunger and fullness cues. You may find that you will eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. You may find that you will make nutritious, wise, and green food choices that are satisfying to you and good for our planet. You may find that you will eat with more awareness and deeply enjoy the choices you make.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
21. “Mindful eating is a way to incorporate mindfulness into one of the most fundamental activities of our existence. It is a way to nourish our bodies and our minds. It is a way to help us achieve a healthier weight, and a way to appreciate the relationship between the food on our table, our health, and the health of the planet. It is a way to grow our compassion for all living beings and imbue reverence for life into every bite.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
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22. “Mindful eating is an experience that engages all parts of us, our body, our heart, and our mind, in choosing, preparing, and eating food. Mindful eating involves all the senses. It immerses us in the colors, textures, scents, tastes, and even sounds of drinking and eating. It allows us to be curious and even playful as we investigate our responses to food and our inner cues to hunger and satisfaction.” —Jan Chozen Bays
23. “Mindful eating is not directed by charts, tables, pyramids, or scales. It is not dictated by an expert. It is directed by your own inner experiences, moment by moment. Your experience is unique. Therefore you are the expert.”—Jan Chozen Bays
24. “Mindful eating is not based on anxiety about the future but on the actual choices that are in front of you and on your direct experiences of health while eating and drinking.”—Jan Chozen Bays
25. “Mindful eating replaces self-criticism with self-nurturing. It replaces shame with respect for your own inner wisdom.”—Jan Chozen Bays
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26. “Among many other things, mindful eating includes feeling the texture of each potato chip on your fingers as you pick it up, and then tasting the salt when you put the chip on your tongue. It’s being aware of and listening to the loud crunch of each bite, and the noise that the chewing makes in your head.” – Susan Albers
27. “Being mindful brings about better management of your emotions. Sometimes people restrict or overeat as a way to cope with negative feelings.” – Susan Albers
28. “Consumer societies thrive on consumption zombies. Mindful eating is a way to end this machinery of mindlessness.” – Pavel G. Somov
29. “Enjoy yourself no matter what you’re eating. You are your own dessert.” – Pavel G. Somov
30. “Intuitively, it makes sense that mindful eating is helpful to overeaters. It slows you down, makes you more aware of portion sizes, and helps you get out of the negative, automatic cycle with food.” – Susan Albers
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31. “Mindful eaters often find fast food less appealing when they are totally tuned in. To their surprise, it begins to taste greasy, artificial, and overly processed.” – Susan Albers
32. “Mindful eating = pleasure-based eating.” – Pavel G. Somov
33. “Mindful eating encourages you to eat consciously with a stronger sense of presence at the moment without worrying about the past or future and distractions.” – Joel Robbins
34. “Mindful eating encourages you to remove all distractions that take away from the experience of enjoying a healthy meal like watching TV, handling your mobile phone, or moving around.” – Joel Robbins
35. “Mindful eating helps you recognize the difference between physical satisfaction and fullness.” – Michelle May
36. “Mindful eating is a form of meditative eating born from mindfulness which is a way of being more aware of the present and focusing on the way you feel at a particular moment without judgment.” – Joel Robbins
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37. “Mindful eating is a namaste greeting from one life-form to another: the life in me recognizes the life that this food once was.” – Pavel G. Somov
38. “Mindful eating is a process, not a destination. Since the changes you are making may be gradual, subtle, or painless, you may not realize that meaningful transformation is taking place.” – Michelle May
39. “Mindful eating is a subtle balance between enjoying yourself and not getting too carried away by the undertow of this enjoyment.” – Pavel G. Somov
40. “Mindful eating is about recognizing life as we eat. To fail to see life in food is to fail to say hello to our own origins, to our own predecessors.” – Pavel G. Somov
41. “Mindful eating is about tapping the pleasure potential of the food we so carefully selected and prepared.” – Pavel G. Somov
42. “Mindful eating is an opportunity to wake up, typically at least three times per day.” – Pavel G. Somov
43. “Mindful eating is feeling the food in your stomach and experiencing pleasure—or whatever you feel— from eating it.” – Susan Albers
44. “Mindful eating is mindful eating, independent of form. Even sitting is irrelevant.” – Pavel G. Somov
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45. “Mindful eating is much like yoga.” – Susan Albers
46. “Mindful eating is radically different. It’s not about cutting out food groups or starving yourself. It is something you do for the long term rather than something you go “on” and “off.”” – Susan Albers
47. “Mindful eating is tuning inward to use your intuitive wisdom to find what works for you.” – Susan Albers
48. “Mindful eating leads to mindful living, which leads back to mindful eating, which circles back to mindful living.” – Pavel G. Somov
49. “Mindful eating means taking a pause to think about what you are doing. Ask yourself if you like the food you are about to eat, and if it tastes good or if it is something you really want to eat.” – Joel Robbins
50. “Mindful eating puts you back into the meal. And all of this at no time cost to speak of.” – Pavel G. Somov
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51. “Mindful eating reconnects you with your body’s signals. Whether you are overeating or undereating, you have lost track of your hunger and fullness. Mindful eating plugs you back into your body’s cues so you know when to stop and start eating.” – Susan Albers
52. “Mindful eating, in particular, is an experience filled with delicious morsels that could keep you from being bored, even when you are eating alone.” – Lynn Rossy
53. “Mindful eating, like anything of value, has a reasonably steep learning curve. So, it’s important to see where you are going with all of this lest you lose sight of the destination.” – Pavel G. Somov
54. “Mindfulness changes the way you think. Rather than reacting to food-related thoughts that urge you to overeat, undereat, emotionally eat, et cetera, you respond to them. You can hear these thoughts without obeying them.” – Susan Albers
55. “Mindfulness teaches you to be less reactive to stress. In turn, this helps you to reduce emotional eating. Just eliminating emotional eating can impact your weight and health immensely.” – Susan Albers
56. “Mindless eating is basically muscle memory, whereas mindful eating is a series of mini choices.” – Pavel G. Somov
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57. “My point is this: all true eating is mindful eating and all truly mindful eating is emotional because it involves a savoring of pleasure which is to say that it involves emotionality.” – Pavel G. Somov
58. “One major caveat: although you can eat anything you want, with mindful eating it is likely that you will choose not to eat everything. The more you tune in to what and how you eat, the more particular you become about what you consume.” – Susan Albers
59. “One of the more curious things people say to me when I’m teaching mindfulness and mindful eating is that they find it boring. Unfortunately, we have been conditioned to expect our experiences to be big, flashy, stimulating, sensational, and sometimes even overwhelming in order to be engaging.” – Lynn Rossy
60. “Sometimes I hear people say that mindful eating is boring. Sometimes I counter with “Mindless eating is what’s boring; that’s why we tend to spice it up with the entertainment of TV.”” – Pavel G. Somov
61. “Sometimes mindful eaters’ taste buds become more sensitive. They notice when tea is overly sweetened or when cereal is loaded with sugar.” – Susan Albers
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62. “The blurring of the line between mindful eating and restrictive eating is the difference between a work of art and a paint-by-number. Either way, you end up with a nice picture—until you get up close to take a look.” – Michelle May
63. “The practice of mindful eating is not a diet, but more about how to eat and when to eat.” – Joel Robbins
64. “This act of mindful eating helps you to develop a healthy relationship with food which would see to it that you are unlikely to abuse food and then, you are more likely to stay happy and have better food habits.” – Joel Robbins
65. “This is the distinct challenge of mindful eating: to break free from entrenched mindless habits and experience things as they really are, including the true sensation of hunger, awareness of flavors, and numerous memories and emotions that arise while you eat, and to be present with each unfolding moment—or morsel, as the case may be.” – Donald Altman
66. “To eat mindfully is to savor. To savor is to notice pleasure. To notice pleasure is to notice emotion. Conclusion: Mindful eating is emotional eating. Put differently, mindful eating is necessarily and inevitably emotional.” – Pavel G. Somov
67. “To eat mindfully, you can adhere to any kind of spiritual background or religion— or none at all.” – Susan Albers
68. “Typically, mindful eating is all about noticing the food and paying attention to eating.” – Pavel G. Somov
69. “When you eat mindfully, essentially you bring all of the unconscious, buried forces that dictate how you eat to the surface so that your mind can examine them, and you can begin to see how thoughts and feelings impact the way you eat.” – Susan Albers
70. “When you eat with mindfulness, your mind is calm and focused, and you feel satisfied when you have met your body’s requirement of food as opposed to overeating because you are distracted.” – Joel Robbins
