Mindful Eating: A Path to Eczema Relief and Digestive Harmony

By Diane Angela Fong, ND & Rachel Lucke, MS, CNS, LDN

In today’s fast-paced world, eating has often become a rushed, mindless activity, leading to poor digestion, weight gain, and even exacerbation of conditions like eczema. However, there’s a simple yet powerful practice that can transform your relationship with food and significantly improve your health—mindful eating. By fully engaging with the act of eating, you can unlock a host of benefits, from better digestion and weight management to reduced inflammation and clearer skin.

In this blog, we’ll explore what mindful eating is, its many benefits, and how it can be particularly helpful for those managing eczema and other inflammatory skin conditions. Whether you're looking to enhance your overall well-being or seeking specific relief from skin issues, mindful eating offers a holistic approach to nourishing both body and mind.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is a practice rooted in mindfulness, which involves paying deliberate attention to the present moment without judgment. When it comes to eating, mindful eating means being fully present while consuming food, paying attention to sensory experiences, thoughts, and feelings associated with the act of eating.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

Improved Digestion

Eating mindfully can significantly impact your digestive health. When you eat slowly and chew thoroughly, you give your digestive system a chance to work more effectively. Saliva, which contains enzymes that begin breaking down food, has more time to mix with your meal, making the digestion process smoother. Additionally, mindful eating often leads to better portion control, which can help prevent overeating and the discomfort that comes with it. Better digestion also means improved nutrient absorption, so you get more of the good stuff from the healthy foods you eat!

Better Weight Management

One of the most well-documented benefits of mindful eating is its role in weight management. By paying attention to hunger and fullness cues, you become more attuned to your body's needs. This heightened awareness can help you recognize true hunger versus emotional or habitual eating. As a result, you're less likely to overeat or indulge in mindless snacking, which can contribute to healthier body weight.

Enhanced Enjoyment of Food

When you eat mindfully, you’re more likely to appreciate and savor the flavors and textures of your food. This heightened sensory experience can lead to greater satisfaction with smaller portions, reducing the urge to eat beyond your fullness. By focusing on the taste and quality of your food, you also cultivate a deeper connection with your meals, making them more enjoyable and fulfilling.

Reduced Stress and Emotional Eating

Mindful eating encourages a more balanced relationship with food, which can be particularly beneficial for those struggling with emotional eating. By bringing awareness to the eating experience, you can better differentiate between physical hunger and emotional cravings. This practice can also help reduce stress-related eating, as it promotes a calm and centered approach to mealtime.

Improved Nutritional Choices

As you become more mindful of what and how you eat, you might also develop a greater appreciation for the nutritional value of different foods. Mindful eaters often find themselves more inclined to choose whole, nutrient-dense foods over processed options. This shift in food choices supports overall health and can contribute to a balanced, nutritious diet.

Strengthened Relationship with Food

Mindful eating fosters a healthier and more respectful relationship with food. Rather than viewing meals as mere fuel or a source of guilt, you learn to see them as opportunities for nourishment and pleasure. This shift in perspective can lead to a more positive and sustainable approach to eating, free from the constraints of restrictive diets and negative body image.

Mindful Eating and Its Impact on Eczema

For those living with eczema, mindful eating can be a powerful tool in managing and potentially reducing the severity of flare-ups. Eczema is a complex condition often influenced by factors like diet, stress, and overall inflammation in the body. By incorporating mindful eating practices, you can support your body's healing processes and contribute to clearer, healthier skin.

Identifying Food Triggers

Eczema flare-ups are often triggered by certain foods, which can vary from person to person. Mindful eating encourages you to slow down and pay close attention to how your body reacts to different foods. By being fully present during meals, you may begin to notice patterns—perhaps certain foods cause itching, redness, or other eczema symptoms. This awareness allows you to better identify and avoid food triggers, making mindful eating a key strategy in personalized eczema management.

Reducing Inflammatory Responses

Eczema is fundamentally an inflammatory condition. When you practice mindful eating, you are more likely to choose anti-inflammatory foods that can help soothe your skin. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and fatty fish, are known to reduce inflammation. On the other hand, highly processed foods, sugar, and certain additives can worsen inflammation. By mindfully selecting and enjoying anti-inflammatory foods, you can help reduce the inflammatory burden on your skin, potentially easing eczema symptoms.

Supporting Gut Health for Skin Healing

There is a strong connection between gut health and skin health, often referred to as the gut-skin axis. Poor digestion and an imbalanced gut microbiome can contribute to eczema flare-ups. Mindful eating promotes better digestion by encouraging you to eat slowly and chew thoroughly, which aids in nutrient absorption and gut function. A healthier gut can lead to less inflammation and, in turn, fewer eczema symptoms. By taking the time to eat mindfully, you're also nurturing your gut, which plays a crucial role in your skin's overall health.

Managing Stress to Prevent Flare-Ups

Stress is a well-known trigger for eczema, often exacerbating symptoms or even initiating a flare-up. Mindful eating practices, such as creating a calm eating environment and focusing on the present moment, can help reduce stress levels. By lowering stress through mindful eating, you may find that your eczema becomes more manageable, with fewer and less severe flare-ups. This connection between stress and eczema highlights the importance of a holistic approach to managing the condition, where mindful eating plays a critical role.

Cultivating a Positive Relationship with Food

Living with eczema can sometimes lead to a negative relationship with food, especially when certain foods are associated with flare-ups. Mindful eating fosters a more balanced and positive relationship with food, helping you see meals as nourishing rather than potentially harmful. This shift in mindset can reduce the anxiety and fear that sometimes accompany eating, allowing you to enjoy your meals without worrying about triggering your eczema.

Techniques for Practicing Mindful Eating

Engage Your Senses

Before taking a bite, take a moment to observe the colors, shapes, and arrangement of your food. Notice the aromas and anticipate the flavors. If you are the one preparing your meal, you can begin engaging your senses while cooking. Notice the way ingredients feel in your hands. Observe how aromas in your kitchen change as you add new ingredients. Digestion begins before you even take a bite of food, as all these sensory experiences and anticipation of eating cue your body to begin the digestive process.

Eat Slowly

Put down your utensils between bites and chew slowly. This allows your body to recognize when it's full and helps you enjoy the taste and texture of your food. Take time to fully experience each bite. Notice the different tastes, textures, and sensations in your mouth. Try to chew each bite thoroughly—as much as 30 chews per bite! The more you chew your food, the less work the rest of your digestive system has to do to break it down.

Check In with Your Body

Pause midway through your meal to assess your hunger level. Are you satisfied or still hungry? Putting down your utensils between bites also helps you to intentionally decide if and when to take the next bite. This can help you avoid overeating, which further prevents digestive discomfort. Pay attention to physical cues of hunger and fullness. Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're satisfied.

Minimize Distractions

Turn off screens and put away reading material. Focus solely on your food and the act of eating. Avoid eating in your car, when your body is in a fight-or-flight state. If you are feeling stressed, try to calm and center yourself before you begin eating.

Practice Gratitude

Before you begin eating, take a moment to appreciate the effort that went into growing, preparing, and presenting your food. Give thanks to the earth, the sun, the soil, the farmers, etc., and acknowledge your place in the ecosystem and food chain.

Learn More

Mindful eating is more than just a dietary trend—it's a powerful practice that can enhance your overall well-being. By fostering a deeper connection with your food and paying attention to your body's signals, you can improve digestion, increase nutrient absorption,, support weight management, and cultivate a more positive relationship with eating. In a world where we’re often disconnected from our food, mindful eating offers a path back to a more conscious and fulfilling way of nourishing ourselves. So, the next time you sit down for a meal, remember to take a deep breath, savor each bite, and truly enjoy the experience. Your body and mind will thank you.

If you need additional support, consulting with our team can provide personalized guidance and support on your journey to better lifestyle choices. Our team at Cleanbody offers one-on-one consultations with Dr. Fong and Cleanbody Nutritionists to assess your individual needs, develop tailored nutrition plans, and address any underlying health issues contributing to poor nutrition. Attend Dr. Fong's next live Q&A session every Wednesday to ask questions, or schedule a consultation to start your journey towards optimal health.

We are going live to discuss this topic on Wednesday, August 28th at 11:15 AM PST! Watch the live or check out the replay here:

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About the Authors:

Dr. Diane Angela Fong, ND, is the CEO and founder of Cleanbody, a wellness company dedicated to treating and preventing chronic disease. She is the creator of the Cleanbody Method, which follows a three-step process: Evaluate (digging into the root causes of chronic disease using lab testing and other evaluation tools), Optimize (enhancing health foundations by addressing nutrition, lifestyle, and toxic exposures), and Support (optimizing organ functions through healing protocols).

Rachel Lucke, MS, CNS, LDN is a Cleanbody Practitioner and Nutritionist specializing in meeting people in their healthy journeys by digging into the root causes of various chronic diseases and conditions. Through the use of healthy food along with aspects of the natural world around us (sunshine, nature, clean water, stress management, relationships, etc), she helps to empower her clients to take charge of their own health and trust their bodies to thrive and heal.

Medical Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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