Mindfulness is the art of paying attention to the present moment without judgement or distraction by thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness has been shown to help reduce blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, mindfulness has been shown to improve emotional and psychological wellbeing by reducing stress levels, easing depression and anxiety.
In a recent study that has been published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Mindfulness has been shown to be more beneficial in aiding weight loss than simply following a nutritional plan alone.
Mindful eating involves taking notice of the signals the body uses to express hunger and satisfaction. When the body is requires energy, feelings of hunger arise; equally, once the body has received food, it releases satisfaction hormones. The pressure of people’s day to day activities has meant that as a society, little attention is paid to the state of the body whilst eating and very few people take time to become aware of the food’s effect on the body.
Researchers recruited people with type 2 diabetes who were overweight. Half of the participants were assigned to follow a nutrition education program for three months. The other half were also taught how to eat mindfully as well as how to choose their food with mindful awareness.
After the test period, people from both groups lost an average of 3 and a half to 6 pounds and saw a significant reduction in blood sugar levels.
Individuals in the mindfulness condition subsequently kept the weight off to a greater extent that the participants who only received the nutritional guidance.
