Mindful eating vs. obesity: What's the connection?

There's a lot of talk these days about the effects that mindful eating (which include, among other things, chewing your food slowly, savoring every bite, and eating free of the distractions of a cell phone, computer, or television) have on weight management, much of it centered around a new book by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung called "Savor."

What I appreciate about the practice is that it keeps us in tune with our bodies so that we don't override the signals it sends as we're eating — especially the signal that indicates that our appetite has been sated and it's time to stop. When we are distracted as we eat, it's easy to miss these signals and consume far more calories than our bodies need at the time. The result? Extra pounds that can lead not just to obesity, but to a host of other medical issues as well.

Can mindful eating help us to avoid obesity, or, if we need to, lose weight? This article on the Huffington Post explores this question in detail and is well worth the read. 

As always, if you find this post useful, please pass it along to your networks via the share buttons.