ABSTRACT

Mindful Eating provides a wider perspective by layering on questions of noticing and clarification. Mindful Eating clients use hunger/fullness scales in their food logs and journaling practice—to help them mindfully discern what they are sensing when they are super-full, super-hungry, and/or somewhere in between. During Structured Eating, food logs give patients a structure to track the timing, balance, and amounts of eating events. Practicing mindful observation steadily increases the person’s level of tolerance for discomfort. A sustained practice of noticing expands their capacity to expose themselves to uncomfortable feelings—and their ability to explore them with curiosity. Integrated Eating’s roots in science and yoga give us several options when responding to resistance, including mindful body practices and food strategies. During Mindful Eating, nutritionists expand food logs to help patients remember the new data gathered through their senses. Mindful practice can happen in any environment.