{"id":7624,"date":"2026-04-21T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7624"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:30:00","slug":"mindful-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7624","title":{"rendered":"Mindful eating"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-04-21T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

A Veteran\u2019s guide to eating with intention.<\/h2>\n

\u201cI can eat three plates of food before my family finishes one.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI finished a bag of gummy bears\u00a0while\u00a0watching TV.\u00a0I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0even know how many I ate until\u00a0they were gone.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m full after eating dinner, but I can\u2019t stop snacking at night.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a VA registered dietitian,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0often heard\u00a0these\u00a0types of\u00a0comments\u00a0from\u00a0Veterans\u00a0when discussing challenges\u00a0with their eating habits.\u00a0Learning\u00a0about healthy eating\u00a0is one thing, but in a world full of distractions,\u00a0confusion\u00a0and guilt\u00a0around\u00a0foods, it can\u00a0be\u00a0hard to nourish yourself. Mindful eating is a strategy that can help\u00a0you\u00a0make food choices that best serve\u00a0your preferences and health goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mindfulness is being in the present moment without judgement or distraction. Mindful eating<\/a> applies to how you eat, including the sensory experience of food, body cues, and your thoughts and emotions. Mindless eating is easy, but mindful eating takes practice. Here are some simple strategies to try. <\/p>\n

Create\u00a0a mindful eating\u00a0environment\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Where do you usually eat? Are there distractions? Your eating environment is important for practicing mindful eating. It\u2019s hard to focus on what you\u2019re eating when you\u2019re distracted. Try eating at the table instead of in front of the TV. Have at least one meal this week without looking at your phone and take notice of any differences in the experience.<\/p>\n

Listen to your\u00a0hunger and fullness\u00a0cues\u00a0<\/h2>\n

When you reach for food, ask yourself, \u201cAm I hungry?\u201d We often eat for reasons other than hunger. Learning hunger cues can strengthen the mind-body connection. During a meal, pause to check how full you feel. There are no right or wrong answers\u2014simply observe your hunger and fullness and try to honor those sensations.<\/p>\n

Savor\u00a0your meals\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Food\u00a0should be\u00a0enjoyable, and\u00a0you\u00a0want to\u00a0get\u00a0the most\u00a0satisfaction from\u00a0it as possible. When\u00a0you\u00a0eat\u00a0something that\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0satisfying,\u00a0you might look for more, or\u00a0something else. Think about\u00a0what\u00a0taste, smell and texture\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0in the mood for.\u00a0Eating slowly, which\u00a0can be challenging for\u00a0many,\u00a0can help you enjoy your meal more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Practice\u00a0self-compassion\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Most\u00a0importantly,\u00a0be\u00a0kind\u00a0to yourself. Food, body image\u00a0and\u00a0weight\u00a0can bring up strong\u00a0emotions.\u00a0Mindfulness is a practice of\u00a0observing\u00a0and not judging. This is a new skill for many,\u00a0so\u00a0have patience\u00a0as\u00a0you practice and get more comfortable with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here is a quick\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0help you\u00a0try mindful eating. Check out\u00a0mindfulness\u00a0resources<\/a>\u00a0at your local\u00a0VA and\u00a0speak with a dietitian to learn more.\u00a0See how other Veterans have put mindfulness into practice<\/a>, and reach out to your VA dietitian to learn more about your individual situation. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Transform your relationship with food through mindful eating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMindful eating - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Transform your relationship with food through mindful eating.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7624\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mindful eating - Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Transform your relationship with food through mindful eating.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7624\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T14:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7624#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7624\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\"},\"headline\":\"Mindful eating\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T14:30:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7624\"},\"wordCount\":512,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7624#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-11.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"News & VA Updates\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7624\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7624\",\"name\":\"Mindful eating - 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