How you can eat mindfully

As Dr. Mike and Dr. Michael Crupain say in their new book, “What to Eat When,” eating has become a vacuum-like process. The sensory experience that should accompany eating is generally lost on 99 percent of you in 99 percent of your meals. We can help you change that.

A lot of mindless eating happens because we eat on the run. One 2017 study found that those who eat quickly were two to five times as likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a precursor to heart disease and diabetes, over a five-year span than folks who eat more slowly. So how can you bring mindfulness to your daily intake of food?

Step back: Try not to eat at your desk or in your car. Sit at a quiet table, undistracted, except by good conversation, while you eat. Down with the digital, up with digestion!

Wait for it: Take slow, purposeful bites. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to tell your body that your hunger has subsided. If you chow down food too quickly, you’ll eat until you’re full.

Experience it: Put a raisin on your tongue. Don’t chew it. Notice the texture, the flavor. Then start chewing it, slowly. Pay attention to your jaw, tongue, teeth, saliva. Apply that approach to each fork- or spoonful you take.

Now try this: Smell your food before you put it in your mouth. Compare the differences between what you smell and what you taste. Then look for the overlap, the similarity. Exercise your smell muscles whenever possible. Your enjoyment of subtle, natural flavors will increase.

Crank it up a notch: When trying to focus on food’s many qualities, it can be helpful to increase your use of spices. They provide a festival of flavor and change the experience of eating almost any food.

When traveling the spice route, engage your senses: Smell the food first, then enjoy the new tastes. You can’t do that smell test if you shop on the Internet, so take this spice adventure when you shop locally.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.