Mindless eating is the opposite of mindful eating. It can include eating when you are not hungry, eating when you are distracted, and eating in response to strong emotions.

Mindless eating is the opposite of mindful eating. Mindless eating can involve:

  • eating when you aren’t hungry
  • eating while distracted (e.g. while watching television)
  • not portioning out food
  • eating in response to strong emotions
  • eating for external reasons (e.g. after seeing a food commercial)

Mindless eating may lead you to consume more food than you want to. Over time, this may lead to overweight or obesity.

Obesity can increase the risk of:

Additionally, if you are eating mindlessly, you may not be getting enough nutrients.

Part of mindful eating is ensuring that you are eating from a variety of food groups. This means aiming to maximize whole foods and minimize ultra-processed food.

A diet that is high in ultra-processed foods is linked to increased mortality and a greater risk of conditions like cancer and heart disease. It can also increase the risk of depressive symptoms, particularly among people who get less exercise.

On the other hand, eating mostly whole, nutrient-dense foods is associated with increased longevity and disease protection.

There are several things you can do to promote mindful eating:

Slow down

You may not feel full immediately after eating. In fact, it can take up to twenty minutes before the feeling of fullness sets in.

Remind yourself to slow down while eating your food. Chew slowly and thoroughly. You may end up feeling full before you finish. On the other hand, eating too quickly may lead you to feel uncomfortably full afterwards.

When you are eating, pay attention to how you are feeling throughout the meal, not just at the beginning and the end. Check in with yourself. If you are feeling full, remember that you do not have to finish everything on your plate.

Think about how you feel

You may find yourself eating as a way to manage intense emotions.

In these moments, try to think about why you feel the urge to eat. Are you feeling hungry, or are you feeling sad, nervous, or bored?

Remove distractions

Try to avoid eating in front of screens. This includes televisions and mobile devices, such as tablets and phones.

Having distractions around while you are eating may lead to overeating.

It is also associated with poorer diet quality, with an increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and other ultra-processed food. However, more research is needed to verify these findings.

Start small

Starting small can make the process more realistic and manageable.

For example, if you can start by honoring your hunger cues during dinner every day, that is significant progress. Once this feels comfortable to you, you can branch out from there.

Be kind to yourself

The most important part of the mindful eating process is being kind to yourself. Change does not happen overnight, and it is OK if you encounter setbacks. You can always pick yourself back up and keep trying.

Mindless eating may not occur on its on. It could also be a symptom of other conditions.

Mindless eating may be related to:

If you feel that you are eating mindlessly as a response to strong emotions or stress, talk to your doctor. If you have anxiety or depression, your doctor can help you get the help you need to manage them.

Binge eating

It is important to make the distinction between mindless eating and binge eating disorder.

Binge eating occurs when you eat a large amount of food in a short time while feeling like you cannot control what or how much you are eating.

If you binge eat regularly—at least once a week for at least three months—you may have binge eating disorder.

If you experience binge eating, it is important to talk to your doctor. Binge eating can lead to a variety of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Help is available

If you or a loved one has an eating disorder, it is important to get support. The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) has several resources for screening, finding treatment, and more.

If you are looking to speak to someone about eating disorder concerns for you or someone else, you may consider calling:

Mindless eating encompasses a variety of behaviors. This can include eating when you are not hungry, eating while distracted, and eating in response to strong emotions.

Some tips to become more mindful of your eating include removing distractions, paying attention to your hunger cues throughout your meals, and identifying your emotions when you feel the urge to eat.

It is also important to remember that mindless eating may be related to other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or stress.

If you feel that your mindless eating could be part of one or more of these, talk to your doctor. They will be able to get you the help you need.