We are regularly out of touch with our immediate conscious experiences due to “ignoring our present moments in favor of others” (Kabat-Zinn, 2005, p. 5), a habit of operating on autopilot at the cost of truly engaging with our surroundings. This chapter discusses the ways that such automaticity can, and typically does, extend to eating and body awareness. As detailed in this chapter, mindless eating is commonplace and is linked to poor body image, disordered eating, and obesity. For athletes and performers, training in mindful eating may assist performance and help counter unique body image and eating concerns found in elite sport and performance environments. In the pages that follow, you will find relevant research regarding the relationship between mindfulness and eating behaviors, body image, and performance. In parallel, at the end of the chapter, there are specific suggestions for positively influencing eating behaviors through a mindful approach.

Mindless Eating and Eating Disorders

Making automatic food choices, without awareness of possible environmental and emotional cues, or consuming food while distracted from the physical sensations of eating is deemed mindless eating (Wansink & Sobal, 2007). In modern culture, mindless eating is rampant; we eat on couches with minds absorbed in television shows; we eat past the point of fullness with friends, distracted by stimulating conversation. These tendencies divert our attention from fully experiencing meals, predictably leading to increased consumption (Wansink, 2004) because we fail to notice when we are satiated.

How many total decisions have you made about food and beverages in the past twenty-four hours? Wansink and Sobal (2007) asked a similar question to a group of research participants, who estimated that they made a total of fourteen decisions in the previous day. Through detailed follow-up questions, the researchers determined that the 139 adults in the study actually made an average of 227 decisions regarding food and beverages. The participants’ gross underestimation indicates that much of food-related behavior is outside of conscious awareness; they failed to accurately assess the multifaceted elements of eating, such as when, where, how much, and with whom they ate.

Mindless eating is also fueled by environmental and cultural factors. For example, Wansink and colleagues have repeatedly shown that food container sizes influence consumption (e.g., Wansink & Kim, 2005).