--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How you eat is as important as what you…" description: "\"How you eat is as important as what you eat. If I eat mindlessly while watching television, I get all of the calories and none of the pleasure. Instead..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/dean-ornish-2921_attention_how-you-eat-is-as-important-as-what-you_664432.png" --- # How you eat is as important as what you eat. If I eat… ![“How you eat is as important as what you eat. If I eat mindlessly while watching television, I get all of the calories and none of the pleasure. Instead, if I eat mindfully, paying attention and savoring what I'm eating, smaller portions of food can be exquisitely satisfying.” quote by Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/dean-ornish-2921_attention_how-you-eat-is-as-important-as-what-you_664432.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/dean-ornish-2921_attention_how-you-eat-is-as-important-as-what-you_664432.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/dean-ornish-2921_attention_how-you-eat-is-as-important-as-what-you_664432.png) > “How you eat is as important as what you eat. If I eat mindlessly while watching television, I get all of the calories and none of the pleasure. Instead, if I eat mindfully, paying attention and savoring what I'm eating, smaller portions of food can be exquisitely satisfying.” [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mindful eating enhances satisfaction and reduces portion size, unlike distracted eating that consumes calories without pleasure. **In simple terms:** Pay attention while eating. Key Takeaway Practice mindful eating for better health. Themes nutrition mindfulness well‑being Mood inspirational practical Type educational motivational When to use this quote - diet coaching - weight management - culinary arts - stress reduction Key Concepts conscious consumption psychology of eating Questions to Reflect On - How can you incorporate mindfulness into daily meals? - What triggers mindless eating for you? A Different Perspective Mindfulness may be hard to maintain in busy environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Eat Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eat-important-1805121/) [Eat Mindfully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eat-mindfully-628163/) [Eat Mindlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eat-mindlessly-2292505/) [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) [Savoring Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savoring-eating-5288017/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Watching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching/) ## Related quotes > [If I eat mindlessly while watching television, reading, or talking with someone else, I can go through an entire meal without tasting the food,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/if-i-eat-mindlessly-while-watching-television-reading-or-talking-with/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [When you eat mindfully, by paying attention to what you eat, you get more pleasure with fewer calories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/when-you-eat-mindfully-by-paying-attention-to-what-you-eat-you-get/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Although many people believe that the primary emphasis of my work is about diet, it's not. What we eat is important, of course, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/although-many-people-believe-that-the-primary-emphasis-of-my-work-is/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [What we do eat is at least as important as what we don't eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/what-we-do-eat-is-at-least-as-important-as-what-we-don-t-eat/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [When we eat mindfully, we consume exactly what we need to keep our bodies, our minds, and the Earth healthy. When we practice like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/when-we-eat-mindfully-we-consume-exactly-what-we-need-to-keep-our/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/texas-bix-bender/always-take-a-good-look-at-what-you-re-about-to-eat-it-s-not-so/) [Texas Bix Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/texas-bix-bender/) > [“TO EAT IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND VERY PLEASUREABLE THING, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE VERY FRIGHTENING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clamp/to-eat-is-very-important-and-very-pleasureable-thing-but-it-can-also/) [CLAMP](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clamp/) > [The time has come to recognize that food, how we produce it, process it, package it, sell it, cook it and eat it, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-time-has-come-to-recognize-that-food-how-we-produce-it-process-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We wouldn't eat an important person like you. Sometimes we'll take a sailor, but —" He shrugged. "— so would you if it was always fish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/we-wouldn-t-eat-an-important-person-like-you-sometimes-we-ll-take-a/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Having control over what you eat is very very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milind-soman/having-control-over-what-you-eat-is-very-very-important/) [Milind Soman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milind-soman/) > [What you eat is important and what is eating you is equally important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-raina/what-you-eat-is-important-and-what-is-eating-you-is-equally-important/) [Mohit Raina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-raina/) > [I've been observing Ramadan during all the years I've been in football. It's very important that you eat well. It's important that you eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kolo-toure/i-ve-been-observing-ramadan-during-all-the-years-i-ve-been-in/) [Kolo Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kolo-toure/) > [The images we eat are as important as the food we eat. Think of that in terms of television, and a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-woodman/the-images-we-eat-are-as-important-as-the-food-we-eat-think-of-that/) [Marion Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-woodman/) > [People are increasingly realising that what they eat is important. You can't put junk food in your body and be healthy. All sorts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/people-are-increasingly-realising-that-what-they-eat-is-important-you/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/) [Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/) ## More by Dean Ornish > [People don't dislike change, they dislike being changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/people-don-t-dislike-change-they-dislike-being-changed/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Think about it: Heart disease and diabetes, which account for more deaths in the U.S. and worldwide than everything else combined, are completely preventable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/think-about-it-heart-disease-and-diabetes-which-account-for-more/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [There's a tendency to dismiss anything having to do with love and intimacy in medicine because it's hard to measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/there-s-a-tendency-to-dismiss-anything-having-to-do-with-love-and/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [No one has all the answers, so whatever a woman who has the BRCA mutation chooses to do requires courage and an element of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/no-one-has-all-the-answers-so-whatever-a-woman-who-has-the-brca/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [The power of the Internet is also its limitation - it provides access to large amounts of information without providing guidance on how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/the-power-of-the-internet-is-also-its-limitation-it-provides-access/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Anything that takes you out of the context of being separate is healing. 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They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. 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