Mindful eating tips to help you eat less – but still feel full

If you’re a righty, put your fork or spoon in your left hand for a change. You’ll have to work a little harder on hand-mouth coordination, which will shift you out of autopilot or mindless eating (ie, inhaling your lunch in mere minutes) into mindful eating which involves eating consciously, staying more focused during mealtime, and ultimately eating less while still feeling satisfied.

Do you stab or scoop with your fork? Scooping up food can promote mindless eating; so try to keep your fork turned down and stab food to pick it up.

Another utensil trick: pick smaller ones. A baby spoon or dessert fork will slow down your eating pace and help you take smaller bites.

We’ve all scarfed down food too quickly while trying to rush-eat before a meeting or finish breakfast on a hectic weekday. You will eat more mindfully if you take small bites, chew them thoroughly and finish one bite before moving on to the next. Don’t let yourself go for another bite until your mouth is completely empty of the current one.

Deliberately slow down a meal by setting a break, like at a play between acts. Use the intermission to take a drink, put down your fork to tell a story, or just get up stretch your legs.

Are you always the first member of the Clean Plate Club? Consider it a sign you’re chowing too quickly. Use your fellow diners to help set a pace – observe who is eating fastest and slowest, and aim to eat on par or slower than the slowest eater at the table.

Don’t miss these habits for eating well.

They’re not just for sushi! Use this Asian staple instead of a fork and knife. Challenging the way you usually eat will help you take smaller portions, eat more slowly, and look at your food more closely.

If it’s hard to imagine eating lunch away from your desk or dinner not in front of the TV, challenge yourself to eat without distractions – and your waistline may thank you. Research shows that eating in front of the TV increases food intake by 14 per cent; talking to a friend while you chow can boost consumption by 18 per cent. Explains Albers: doing two things at once inhibits concentration and awareness.

Check out these reasons you’re eating more than you realise.

Working harder for your food helps you eat less of it. That’s what Eastern Illinois University researchers found when they gave two groups of study participants pistachio nuts; one got the nuts already shelled and the other had to de-shell them. The former consumed 882 kilojoules on average; the latter had only 523 kilojoules – and both groups rated their fullness and satisfaction the same.

Another study from the same research centre found that using the shells as ‘evidence’ of your eating habits can also help you cut back. People who kept their shells in sight while they continued to eat consumed 903 kilojoules on average; those who threw them out as they ate consumed 1104 kilojoules. The same principle applies to cups, candy wrappers, chicken bones, etc.

Before you dig into breakfast, have a mindful moment with a cup of coffee (herbal tea works well too). Sit down and pour a steaming cup, then allow yourself to sniff the hot vapours (at a safe distance). Inhale deeply and savour the fragrant aroma, which can be very invigorating.

Here’s how to make a good coffee.

Do you use external or internal cues to wrap up mealtime? External cues are things like your server removes your plate, lunch hour is over, the bag of popcorn is empty. Internal cues are things like you feel full, you consider the portion size, you feel thirsty. Listen to internal cues to stop eating.