mindful eating can improve your health

Written by Jennifer Korneski, Somerset County 4-H Healthy Living Program Coordinator.

Every time we eat is an opportunity to nourish our body and mind. Fueling your body throughout the day with essential nutrients is needed for optimal wellness and energy maintenance which can lead to increased productivity, improved mood, and stronger immune system. If you struggle with low energy or sugar cravings during the day, realize you spend more time eating on-the-run instead of taking time to sit and enjoy a meal, or go hours without thinking about eating or drinking, it may be time to think about the concept of “Mindful Eating” and take a look at how your eating patterns are affecting your total health.

When was the last time you remember sitting down to actually savor the flavors and taste of a meal? Mindful eating is being aware of what we are eating using the five senses (sight, smell, touch, heating, and taste). This brings awareness of thoughts and feelings related to food habits and an apprecaition of the food you are eating. Eating with purpose gives you control of what you are putting in your mouth to fuel your body.

It can be common place to grab a muffin for breakfast, multitask while eating, grab a coffee for a energy boost, or even unconsciously skip lunch, so it is important to slow down and think about the daily food choices we make and how they affect our physical and mental health.

What We Eat: Mood Boosting Nutrients

Fuel your body and mind with healthy, well-balanced meals. Eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of whole-grain carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats with an emphasis on vegetables and fruits provide essential nutrients and fiber to keep energy reserves up and keep your body functioning at its peak.

Vitamins (A, B-complex, C, D, E) are essential for a wide range of body functions such as metabolism, energy production, tissue growth and repair tissue, immune system support, hormone regulation, and central nervous system support. Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables can provide these vitamins. Be mindful about incorporating them throughout your day. A good way to accomplish this is filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables.

Iron is a mineral that helps carry oxygen from lungs throughout the body. Lentils, beans, dark leafy greens, red meat, chicken, turkey, oysters, and dried apricots are good sources. Vitamin C (citrus fruits, strawberries, broccoli, red peppers) helps to absorb iron.

Potassium supports nerve function, muscle contraction, and cell nutrition. Bananas, potatoes, avocados, and spinach are good sources.

Magnesium plays vital role in hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body such as muscle and nerve function, blood pressure regualtion, blood sugar control,, energy production.and can play an important role in stress releif and relaxation. Spinach, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole-grains, and dark chocolate are good sources.

Zinc supports the immune system, wound healing, metabolism, hormone production and is necessary for proper function of smell and taste receptors. Excellent food sources include shellfish, red meat, and dark meat poultry.

Other important nutrients for overall health and mental clarity include omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and probiotics. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential because they are not made by the body. They have heart and brain health benefits and studies have shown they also benefit mood and cognitive function. Good sources include fatty fish, flaxseed, and walnuts. Fiber is the indigestible part of plant-based foods. It is beneficial to not only digestive health but weight management, heart health and blood sugar regulation. Good sources include whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and beans. Probiotics, which promote good bacteria in the digestive tract, are increasingly recognized for supporting the gut-brain connection. When good and bad bacteria are unbalanced, neuron transmitters between the gut and brain are altered, which can impact sleep, anxiety levels and cognition. Be sure to eat foods that can promote healthy bacteria such as yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut and limit foods that increase unhealthy levels of bacteria such as high sugar, refined carbs, processed foods and snacks.

Be mindful of reading labels to check sugar levels of beverages and snacks. Four grams of sugar equals 1 tsp. For example, if an ice tea or energy drink is 40 grams of added sugar, it equals 10 tsp of sugar! This excess sugar can quickly accumulate throughout your day. Replacing sugary drinks with water is a simple way to reduce sugar intake to avoid feeling sluggish during the day. Be intentional with drink and snack choices by replacing empty calorie choices with nutrient dense foods like fruit, lean proteins, and whole-grains.

According to data from the Healthy Eating Index-2020, a tool to assess nutrition data for the 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), the typical dietary patterns currently consumed by many in the United States do not align with the DGA recommendations. Most people need about 85% of daily calories to come from meeting daily food group recommendations for general good health. Sadly, Americans have fallen far from meeting the recommendations and diet-related chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some types of cancer pose a major public health problem.

90% of the U.S. population does not meet the recommendation for vegetables.
80% of the U.S. population does not meet fruit recommendations.
98% fall below recommendations for whole grains and 74% exceed limits for refined grains.

To view your personal daily food group recommendations based on age, gender, height, weight and physical activity level, visit www.myplate.gov.

Meal planning is a helpful way to ensure healthy snacks and meals are available so that your body gets the nutrients it needs.

make a plan

Think about what your schedule looks like for the week ahead and which days you can cook/prep. Make a list of ingredients needed and always have a back up plan.

take inventory

Look through the pantry, fridge, and freezer to inventory foods you have and prepare a shopping list for ingredients you may need. Staples to have on hand include canned beans and vegetables, canned tuna or chicken, various whole grains, frozen fruits and vegetables, and nuts and seeds.

prepare

Explore different food prep techniques and recipes like casseroles, quiches, and one pot meals, and prepare healthy snacks to start the week such as hard boiled eggs, energy balls, or pre-bagging snacks.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls Recipe
1/2 cup natural drippy peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup vanilla protein powder (optional)
1/3 cup flaxseed meal
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup quick oats
1 TBSP mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix peanut butter and honey together. Add protein powder, coconut, flaxseed meal, oats, and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined. Add a little more peanut butter or honey to help bind mixture as needed but as you roll into small balls, the mixture will come together. Makes about 16 balls. Store in an airtight container in fridge up to a week or freeze up to a month.

Food is a way to fuel your body but also something to enjoy. Take time to appreciate the food you are eating and the people you share meals with. Be intentional about the food you eat. When you are mindful about what and where you eat, you will notice a positive change in how you feel.

Sources

“Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets”. National Institutes of Health, Office on Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/. Accessed May 27, 2025.

“Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition”. December 2020. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans-2020-2025.pdf25. Accessed May 27, 2025.

“Eat Healthy with MyPlate”. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.myplate.gov. Accessed May 27, 2025.

Mindful Eating Can Improve Your Health