What is the Science and Research on Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating, which applies mindfulness principles to eating experiences, has been increasingly studied as a way to address disordered eating and improve psychological health. Research has shown that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce emotional eating, binge eating, and other problematic behaviors by increasing awareness, supporting self-regulation, and reducing reactivity to internal and external cues (Liu et al., 2025).

Central to mindful eating is the cultivation of interoceptive awareness, or the ability to perceive internal bodily sensations such as hunger, fullness, and satiety. Robinson et al. (2021) demonstrated that individuals with greater interoceptive awareness were more likely to engage in intuitive eating patterns. 

Research also points to the role of self-compassion and body appreciation in fostering a healthier relationship with food. Oswald et al. (2017) demonstrated that higher levels of body appreciation were linked to more intuitive eating and greater positive emotional experiences. This is consistent with findings from Mantzios and Wilson (2015), who reported that mindful eating practices grounded in self-compassion reduce the likelihood of eating in response to stress or difficult emotions.

Bays (2017) emphasized the importance of recognizing different types of hunger, such as distinguishing physical hunger from emotional hunger. This awareness supports a deeper understanding of one’s eating habits, helping to identify underlying causes and address them more effectively. Complementary strategies like eating more slowly, minimizing distractions during meals, and savoring food have also been associated with positive health outcomes (Hawton et al., 2019; Hermann et al., 2022).

Together, these findings highlight mindful eating as a promising, evidence-based approach for improving eating behaviors, emotional balance, and body appreciation. By enhancing interoceptive awareness, cultivating self-compassion, and breaking habitual patterns, mindful eating fosters sustainable, long-term change and offers a pathway toward healing one’s relationship with food.

Sources Cited

1. Bays, J. C. (2017). Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food. Shambhala Publications: Boulder, CO.
2. Hawton, K., Ferriday, D., Rogers, P., Toner, P., Brooks, J., Holly, J., Biernacka, K., Hamilton-Shield, J., & Hinton, E. (2019). Slow Down: Behavioural and Physiological Effects of Reducing Eating Rate. Nutrients, 11(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11010050
3. Herrmann, T., Preib, E., French, M., Beckstrom, J., Nazarenko, E., Lackner, R., Marchand, W.R., & Yabko, B. (2022). Veterans’ experiences with mindfulness-based eating: A mixed methods study on MB-SAVOR, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101548.
4. Liu, J., Tynan, M., Mouangue, A., Martin, C., Manasse, S., & Godfrey, K. (2025). Mindfulness-based interventions for binge eating: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. J Behav Med, 48(1):57-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-025-00550-5
5. Mantzios, M., & Wilson, J.C. (2015). Exploring mindfulness and mindfulness with self-compassion-centered interventions to assist weight loss: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results of a randomized pilot study. Mindfulness, 6(4), 824-835.
6. Oswald, A., Chapman, J., & Wilson, C. (2017) Do interoceptive awareness and interoceptive responsiveness mediate the relationship between body appreciation and intuitive eating in young women? Appetite. 109:66-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.11.019
7. Robinson, E., Marty, L., Higgs, S., & Jones, A. (2021) Interoception, eating behaviour and body weight. Physiol Behav. 237:113434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113434

What are the Learning Objectives and Outcomes of Mindful Eating?

1. Define mindfulness and describe how it applies to eating behaviors.
2. Identify automatic eating patterns as they arise in the moment and employ mindfulness strategies to disrupt automatic eating patterns.
3. Discuss the Nine Types of Hunger and differentiate between physical and emotional hunger cues.
4. Utilize mindfulness practices to enhance presence and awareness during meals.
5. Explain the role of the nervous system in eating behaviors and stress responses.
6. Utilize self-compassion practices and loving-kindness meditation to foster a supportive relationship with oneself.
7. Apply the Hunger/Fullness scale while eating to assess interoceptive cues of hunger and satiety.
8. Integrate informal practices (e.g., 3-step breathing space) and formal meditations into daily routines to promote mindful awareness in daily living.
9. Implement principles to slow down the eating process and enhance the enjoyment and appreciation of food.
10. Cultivate gratitude and appreciation for the body and food through mindfulness practices.
11. Explore cultural and familial influences on eating behaviors and develop strategies to navigate them mindfully.
12. Identify personal challenges related to eating and apply mindfulness strategies to address them.
13. Evaluate progress in mindful eating practices and set goals for continued growth.
14. Develop a plan for integrating mindfulness into daily life beyond the course.