Mindful eating practices are totally different from water fasting practices. The former is more about observing how food is making you feel. The latter is about just drinking water for a specific amount of time to reduce calorie intake. Both practices can be great for the body. However, mindful eating is more sustainable than water fasting for many people.
In this post, let’s talk about how being more aware of what you’re eating is more vital for your health goals than just eating no food and drinking only water.
Are Mindful Eating Practices Better Than Water Fasting Practices
Mindful eating practices are better because the main goal is to help you slow down and listen to your hunger cues. You’re responding to your body’s signals with curiosity and compassion. But it depends on your goal. With mindful eating, you’ll only eat when you’re hungry, and you stop when you’re full. You don’t have to finish what’s on your plate. Just put the leftovers in the fridge.
Water fasting, on the other hand, teaches your body not to eat anything. It supports insulin sensitivity and regulates blood sugar. Unfortunately, it’s too restrictive. If you live like a monk, water fasting can be sustainable. But not all of us can live like that. Furthermore, water fasting is only ideal once or twice a month.
If you’ve spent years or decades being disconnected from your hunger signals, restricting your body may not help you achieve your health goals. For many, water fasting can be controlled restriction, instead of being a supportive structure.
Why Mindful Eating Practices are More Sustainable Than Water Fasting Practices?
Mindful eating practices are more sustainable because they’re not a diet plan.
As mentioned, mindful eating and water fasting can help you lose a significant amount of weight. Unlike water fasting, mindful eating isn’t a diet plan. You don’t have to create any meal plan or follow an eating window. There are no forbidden foods. You just need to be aware of the food you’re eating and how it makes you feel.
Mindful eating can be difficult if you’ve lost access to your hunger signals. Your ability to accurately read your hunger and fullness signals can be quite complex. However, once you’ve managed to recalibrate your body to notice those signals, the practice becomes more sustainable.
Water fasting can be ideal only for a short period. Our ancestors have probably done it. But their lifestyle at that time was a bit different from what we have at the present. In terms of analysis, only a few studies about water fasting have been conducted. For instance, in this small study that included middle-aged men, the researchers found significant changes in their blood and urine markers. They also noticed changes in their body composition. But the study lasted for 8 days. The researchers concluded that if the fasting had continued, it could damage participants’ health.
Between mindful eating and water fasting, the former is more sustainable. Since there are no restrictions, you can follow the practices for a longer period.
Can Mindful Eating Practices Impact Your Gut?
Mindful eating practices and water fasting can promote gut health.
Researchers in this study examined the effect of mindful eating on gut and brain health. It shows that it positively affects the gut-brain axis and enhances the gut microbiome. This practice also decreases stress and promotes self-regulation, which is vital for those suffering from digestive issues. In terms of brain health, the study concluded that mindful eating is associated with better brain function, emotional regulation, and neuroplasticity.
The studies on water fasting affecting gut health are limited. Most studies found a strong relationship between fasting and gut microbiota richness and compositional changes. Researchers in this review suggest that fasting can improve richness and alpha diversity of gut microbiota. But because of heterogeneity of the results, researchers suggest that more research is necessary to validate the findings.
In that case, both mindful eating practices and water fasting practices can impact your gut health.
Can Mindful Eating Practices and Water Fasting Practices Help Repair Your Relationship with Food?
Mindful eating practices can help repair your relationship with food. Our relationship with food has been greatly affected because of our busy lifestyle. Most of us eat because it’s noon. Some can’t even stop eating while they’re bingeing on their favorite TV shows. Let’s take a look at how both practices affect our relationship with food.
Mindful eating is a practice of being in the present while eating. You’re eating with no judgment. It means you can eat your favorite pasta or donut. But you’ll be eating and becoming aware of how the food affects you. From the time it’s on your plate to the time it touches your mouth to the time it reaches your stomach, you’ll notice everything.
In other words, while you’re mindfully eating, you engage all your senses so you can appreciate your food more. You’ll pay attention to the flavors, textures, and aromas. While you’re being present, you will know when to stop eating. This means you can regulate your appetite.
It also reduces the chances of overeating as you’re aware of how your body responds to the food you take. You’ll know whether you’re full or not. You can also regulate your sugar consumption.
But in order to recognize how food affects you through mindful eating, you need to tune into your hunger signals. That’s why it’s necessary to pause before you eat. You should ask yourself if what you’re feeling is true hunger or if you’re just responding to your emotions.
As you practice becoming more aware of your body signals, your relationship with food will be improved. You won’t use food as a tool to relieve your emotions. Rather, you’ll use it to nourish your body.
Water fasting, on the other hand, is a bit different. You’re restricted to a certain eating window. In my case, I would devour a huge plate of processed food to break my fast. I didn’t care how my body responded to the food. I just ate the fries, the steak, and other pieces on my plate just to relieve my hunger. I was also hungry all the time.
It’s true that water fasting can help you lose weight. This is the reason many people recommend it for faster weight loss. However, in terms of your relationship with food, water fasting may not be able to improve it if you don’t know how to properly use it.
Thus, in terms of your relationship with food, mindful eating is more ideal.
Can Mindful Eating Practices and Water Fasting Practices Improve Energy Levels
Mindful eating practices can improve your energy levels. Mindful eating, per se, promotes food intake regulation. You’ll only eat when you’re hungry. You’ll stop when you’re satisfied or full. You’ll also be more attentive while eating and be mindful of what you’re eating. In other words, you don’t just eat anything.
Because you’re more aware of what the food does to your body, you’ll choose to eat more healthily. You’ll also eat food that can truly give you energy. And because you won’t overeat, which typically results in drowsiness, you’ll have the right energy to do your daily activities.
Water fasting practices, if not done correctly, may help with your energy levels. While you’re in fasting mode, your body will be in ketosis. This means that it uses ketones for fuel. It’s considered to be a highly efficient fuel source not just for the heart but also for the brain.
Proponents of water fasting said that their cognitive functions have greatly improved because of water fasting. Their physical energy is also sustained. But in my case, though, I was sluggish, especially when I was closer to breaking my fast. But probably because I ate the wrong foods. I also overate before fasting.
In terms of energy levels, both practices may be able to help you. However, you must do it properly. It takes a lot of willpower to fight your cravings when you want to eat mindfully. It’s also the same with water fasting. If you’re new to it, you’ll crave more, and your energy levels will go down without food. This is especially true if you’re not doing it right.
Water Fasting to Mindful Eating
As you can see, there are more benefits when you choose mindful eating over water fasting. Both practices offer health benefits. Water fasting is more about weight loss, while mindful eating is more about sustainability.
There’s no reason you can’t practice them both. For instance, you can be mindful of what you’re eating if it’s time to break your water fast. And since you’ve already practiced being mindful of your internal signals, you won’t feel hungry while fasting. You can just drink more water during the fasting window.
If you think that water fasting is too restrictive, and you wish to start mindful eating, you may check out our mindful eating guide first. This guide will teach you how to begin noticing your body’s signals so you will know whether it’s true hunger or not.
Our mindful eating journal will help you monitor your progress. There’s no judgment here. Just log everything. Remember that you can’t track your progress without proper figures. You can download our mindful eating journal here. You can also use it if you wish to integrate water fasting into your health journey.
If you wish to know your hunger-satiety scale, just get our free mindful eating scale PDF here.
Frequently Asked Questions: Mindful Eating Practices
1. What are the 5Ss of Mindful Eating?
The 5Ss of mindful eating practices include sitting down, slowly chewing your food, savoring your food, simplifying everything, and smiling.
2. Why do I feel an intense urge to binge after finishing a 24-hour water fast?
After 24 hours without food- just water- your body’s primary hunger hormone reaches its peak levels. Your brain also enters a scarcity mindset. When your eating window opens, this urge overrides your control. Thus, you overeat.
3. Can switching from water fasting to mindful eating cause weight gain?
No, switching from water fasting to mindful eating won’t cause weight gain, unless you still overeat. Mindful eating uses your internal cues to help you regulate your calorie intake without causing severe metabolic stress.
4. How do I know if I’m experiencing physical hunger or emotional hunger?
Physical hunger develops below the stomach line. You’ll feel physical signals of low energy or light rumbling. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly. It requires a specific kind of food. It also persists even if you’re physically full.
5. Can I combine mindful eating and water fasting?
Yes, you can combine midnful eating and water fasting. In fact, it’s highly recommended. Mindful eating will stop you from overeating while you’re breaking your fast.
Jane is a licensed medical technologist who bridges the gap between clinical precision and digital innovation. While her formal background is rooted in the meticulous world of laboratory science, her passion lies in the logic of software development. When she isn’t analyzing data or writing clean, efficient code, you can find her on the golf course, applying that same focus and discipline to her swing.
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