Help Your Patients Take Control Over Their Eating Through Mindful Eating
Hi! My name is Deanna Ronne, a Sodexo dietetic intern in New Bedford, MA. I just completed 2 weeks in outpatient nutrition at Southcoast before beginning my clinical rotations. My concentration is MNT, so I was surprised with how much I enjoyed outpatient nutrition counseling and how much I learned. Not only do you have the opportunity to develop a lasting relationship with your patients, but you can also make a huge impact on their lives and their health. One of my favorite projects was creating a handout on mindful eating for bariatric patients. I was impressed with how valuable incorporating mindfulness in our discussions with patients and clients can be in helping them take control of their eating. Through discussing mindful eating we can help patients discover the nurturing qualities of food, notice the taste and texture of food, and to listen to the body’s physiologic state to decide when to begin and stop eating. Patients should learn to choose foods that are both nurturing and pleasing to them.
The body has a remarkable way of sensing hunger and satiety. If we continue to eat after we have reached satiety, we are consuming more energy than our bodies need, so it is no surprise that the excess energy will lead to unintended weight gain. If everyone listened to their hunger and satiety cues, I bet the rate of obesity would drastically diminish. Yes, easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere. Start by incorporating mindfulness in our discussions, especially with patients struggling with their weight and chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease that are so closely associated with obesity.
I realized how mindful eating can relate to many disease processes and conditions. For example, after a patient undergoes bariatric surgery, their stomach becomes much smaller or is entirely removed. It is especially important for these patients to recognize the difference in their satiety levels before and after surgery. This will help them adjust their intake to what their new GI tract can handle. Diabetic patients can benefit from mindful eating so they learn to eat when they are hungry to prevent hypoglycemia and avoid overeating which can cause a dangerous spike in sugar levels. They can learn to recognize their symptoms related to high and low blood sugars.
Here are some tips:
The body has a remarkable way of sensing hunger and satiety. If we continue to eat after we have reached satiety, we are consuming more energy than our bodies need, so it is no surprise that the excess energy will lead to unintended weight gain. If everyone listened to their hunger and satiety cues, I bet the rate of obesity would drastically diminish. Yes, easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere. Start by incorporating mindfulness in our discussions, especially with patients struggling with their weight and chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease that are so closely associated with obesity.
I realized how mindful eating can relate to many disease processes and conditions. For example, after a patient undergoes bariatric surgery, their stomach becomes much smaller or is entirely removed. It is especially important for these patients to recognize the difference in their satiety levels before and after surgery. This will help them adjust their intake to what their new GI tract can handle. Diabetic patients can benefit from mindful eating so they learn to eat when they are hungry to prevent hypoglycemia and avoid overeating which can cause a dangerous spike in sugar levels. They can learn to recognize their symptoms related to high and low blood sugars.
Here are some tips:
- We want our patients to recognize when they are eating mindlessly; they are eating for reasons other than hunger, or no reason at all. Mindless eating is eating at meal times because it is a ritual, not because of hunger. Mindless eating can be eating throughout the day because of boredom or depression. It can also be eating in front of the television and forgetting how much was actually consumed. Asking patients these questions will help them realize how easy it is to eat when their bodies don’t actually need energy.
- If your patients write in a food diary, tell them to rate their hunger before each meal and snack. This will help them recognize that when they are less hungry, they should be eating less, say a snack. When they are more hungry, it might be time for a meal. Hunger scales, like the one shown below, are a great visual aid.
Photo Source: http://www.sensiblefoodie.ca/blog/the-hunger-scale-and-why-its-important
- Tell your patients to rate their hunger before a meal, eat half of their meal and rate their hunger again. Are they still hungry or can they be done? This will help with portion control.
- Mindfulness can also be incorporated into exercise. Morning walks are a peaceful way to get in touch with earth, nature, your body, and your mind. Think about goals both pertaining to your health and other areas of your life. Walking after meals utilizes the energy from what you ate and is also great for digestion. If you are slightly full from your meal and then go on a 15 minute walk, notice how you feel after your walk. Do you feel less full? Do you feel energized?
I hope that this helps everyone! By incorporating mindfulness in our discussions with patients, we can really help patients find a balance between food, nutrition, our bodies, and our mind.
