Mindfulness-Based Eating Intervention in Children: Effects on Food Intake and Food-Related Behaviour During a Mid-morning Snack

Abstract

Mindfulness has been associated with many psychological and physiological benefits and recently it has begun to consider the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on healthy eating habits through mindful eating. However, studies conducted with children subjected to mindfulness-based eating sessions in groups and related to healthy eating are very limited. The aim of this study was to investigate whether different sessions of mindful eating could affect food intake and eating behaviour in children. A between-subject experiment was conducted during 1 month with 8–9-year-old children. Mindful eating group (MEG) received three mindfulness-based eating sessions. The control group (CG) received three nutritional education sessions. During these sessions, the kids fulfilled different questionnaires about food habits and mindful eating state. The final session consisted of an ad libitum mid-morning snack with healthy and unhealthy choices. Caloric intake and food choices were recorded after the session, as well as different validated questionnaires to measure other variables such as satiety and liking. During the snack buffet, the MEG showed significantly lower food intake and energy intake compared to CG (p = 0.03 and p = 0.02, respectively). Regarding food choices, unhealthy food intake and unhealthy caloric consumption were significantly lower in MEG, compared to CG (p = 0.03, in both cases). Our findings suggest the effectiveness of mindfulness-based eating sessions to reduce caloric intake and promote the election of healthier dietary food choices in child population.