A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effects of Mindful Eating and Eating without Distractions on Food Intake over a Three-Day Period

This study compared the effects of mindful eating and eating without distractions on energy intake and diet over a 3-day period among healthy-weight females. Mindful eating was defined as attending to the sensory properties of one’s food as one eats. Participants (n = 99) were asked to either focus on the sensory properties of their food (MIND), eat without distractions (CON-D) or they were not provided with any instructions (CON-I). All participants completed an online food recall measure at the end of each day. Those in the MIND and CON-D groups also rated strategy adherence at the end of each day. Results showed no significant effects of condition on energy intake (η(p)(2) = 0.00), saturated fat, added sugar and fiber (η(p)(2) = 0.03), or fruit and vegetables (η(p)(2) = 0.04). There was also no significant relationship between energy intake and strategy adherence in the MIND group (r = −0.02). For those in the CON-D group, there was a trend toward a negative relationship between energy intake and strategy adherence (r = −0.31, p = 0.085). Among this population, there was no evidence that asking people to attend to the sensory properties of their food improved their diet. Further research is needed to identify mechanisms underpinning significant effects observed in laboratory studies, to help understand when this strategy is, and is not, likely to be helpful.