Dietitian Lucy Carey gives 5 simple mealtime habits to turn any meal or snack into a mindful eating experience.

You have a fork in one hand and a phone in the other. Your mind is reading emails and scrolling socials while your body is eating lunch. In a few moments time, you will glance down at your plate and realize that you’ve finished your food, but you don’t even remember what you’ve eaten. Sound familiar?

In today’s world, mealtimes can often turn into another rushed task to tick off the to-do list. But when you eat this way all the time, it can leave you feeling disconnected from your food and your body. It can make overeating far more likely, and it takes the joy out of food.

The good news? Shifting to a more mindful approach to mealtimes doesn’t require quitting your day job and overhauling your calendar. Here are 5 simple tips that can transform your meals from rushed to relaxed, even when you don’t have a lot of time.

1. Put it on a plate

Even if it’s a quick snack, taking it out of the packet and putting it on a plate is a powerful way to signal to your brain that it’s time to eat. You can see the food laid out in front of you so you acknowledge that you’re eating. It sounds laughably simple, but plating your food will help you to feel more satisfied and be more aware of when you start to feel full. It’s a small shift that makes eating feel intentional instead of incidental.

2. Put your phone away

Your colleagues and clients can actually wait 15 minutes before you answer that email. And those funny videos will still be there at the end of the day, I promise. When you’re scrolling through social media, answering emails, or watching videos, your focus is pulled away from your food and eating becomes automatic. That kind of distraction pulls you away from your body’s cues and you’re more likely to keep eating past the point of fullness. But by leaving your phone in the other room, you’re giving yourself the gift of being fully present at your meal. You’ll taste your food more, enjoy it more, and give your body and brain a much-needed change of pace.

3. Take 3 deep breaths before you eat

In this day and age, it’s not unusual for stress levels to be running high. And prolonged high cortisol levels brings a whole host of health problems your way. But how can you reduce stress when you still need to pay the mortage and take kids to sport practices and deal with that one colleague who grinds your gears, etc., etc., etc.?

Try this: take 3 deep breaths before you eat. It’s a simple ritual that helps shift your body out of ‘fight or flight’ mode and into ‘rest and digest’. Deep breathing helps calm your mind and body before you even take your first bite. This small pause also gives you a moment to transition from whatever you were doing before to being present with your meal, setting the tone for a more mindful and enjoyable experience.

4. Put your cutlery down between bites

I grew up with 3 brothers. And I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a house with 3 teenage boys, but if you don’t eat fast, you don’t eat. Eating fast is something that stuck with me for years after we had all grown up and the best piece of advice I ever received to help slow down my eating was this: put your cutlery down between bites.

When you’re always pre-loading your fork with the next bite, it’s easy to fall into a rhythm of eating too fast and not chewing enough! By placing your cutlery down, you create a natural pause that encourages you to fully chew and savor each bite. If you’re eating with loved ones it also gives you a chance to chat! This slower pace not only helps you enjoy the flavors and textures of your food, it also gives your body time to signal to your brain that it’s satisfied, making it easier to avoid overeating.

5. Practice gratitude

Practicing gratitude before a meal sounds a little woo-woo, but what’s wrong with a bit of woo now and then? In my experience, taking a moment to reflect on how grateful I am to have nourishing food, for the people who prepared it, for the loved ones I’m sharing it with… It shifts my whole mindset to the present moment (instead of thinking about all the things I have to do next) and makes the meal a more mindful and meaningful experience. This small practice doesn’t just make mealtimes more pleasant, it also fosters a positive relationship with food and the act of eating.

So there you have it. Mindful eating doesn’t need to be this big thing you have to overhaul your life for. It can be as simple as putting your food on a plate, leaving your phone in another room (or face down on silent), taking a few deep breaths, pausing between bites, and practicing gratitude. These little habit changes not only bring more joy into your mealtimes, they also help you tune into your body’s needs. Why not give one of them a go at your next meal? Your mind and body will thank you!