Mindful Eating with Diabetes

Learning to be more mindful can help us calmly think through situations. For people with diabetes, the values of mindfulness may even help them practice better self-care.

What is mindfulness? It is being tuned in to your thoughts, feelings and body. Once you’ve done it for a while, mindfulness may help you break free from old patterns of thinking, feeling and acting. It promotes balance, choice and acceptance.

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is eating with intention. It’s slowing down and thinking about your food as you are choosing it and eating it. This way of eating can help you curb your food intake, lose some weight and control your diabetes. Along with encouraging healthier food choices, mindful eating can boost your happiness with those choices.

Food is often used as a way to cope with stress and hard situations. Many people who struggle with diabetes experience feelings of judgment and guilt linked to food. When people are diagnosed with diabetes, their relationship with food can become even more strained.

Practicing mindful eating can help people overcome negative feelings related to food. By focusing on the present moment, they can learn that no single meal defines their health. This practice helps develop a greater compassion for oneself that leads to better long-term diabetes management.

With mindful eating, you:

• Become aware of the positive and nurturing side of food choice 
• Use all your senses while eating food that is pleasing and wholesome
• Respond to food (your likes and dislikes) without worry
• Recognize your physical hunger and fullness cues
• Use these hunger and fullness cues to start and stop eating
• Make choices that support health and wellbeing
• Improve blood glucose levels through more balanced meals

 Here are some useful tips to support mindful eating:

• Sit down when you eat.
• Eat without distractions such as TV, reading or work.
• Practice portion control.
• Give yourself enough time to enjoy the feeling of dining. Spend at least 15 minutes on nothing but eating your meal.

Want to learn how to get started? A registered dietitian can help you put it into practice. To find one in your area, visit eatright.org.  

Sources: Mindful Eating Approaches While Managing Diabetes,  American Diabetes Association, 2025; Understanding Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthier Relationship with Food,  Duke Health & Wellbeing, 2023; Mindful Eating for Diabetes Control,  Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 2024