5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise

Teach, help, and encourage your patient to be more mindful when eating by giving them a copy of our 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise Worksheet Template. 

By Patricia Buenaventura on May 09, 2024.

Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.

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What is Mindful Eating?

is a form of meditation where one pays more attention to their food and sensations while eating. It also helps an individual distinguish between physical and emotional hunger, manage eating habits, cope with emotions more healthily, and teach one about cravings and physical cues of hunger and fullness.

There are multiple exercises, activities, tips, and practices to aid one to be more mindful when eating. Here are some of them:

  • Engage all senses and discover the sounds, colors, smells, tastes, and textures of the food
  • Take small bites
  • Chew thoroughly
  • Eat slowly
  • Appreciate where the time it took to prepare the food and the people who prepared the ingredients and the dish itself
  • Choose to eat healthy meals and snacks over junk food
  • Eat only to satisfy your physical hunger and stop when your body signals that you are full

If you want to access a treatment plan for your patients, feel free to check out this video:

Printable 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise

Download this 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise to help encourage clients to be more mindful when eating.

How to do this 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise?

A helpful technique for promoting mindful eating in clients is the 5-5-5-5-5 exercise. If your patient would benefit from guidance in practicing mindfulness while eating, particularly in controlling emotional eating, you can utilize our available template. To obtain a copy of the template and learn how to utilize it, please follow the step-by-step instructions provided below.

Step One. Access and Download our Template

To access and download our printable 5-5-5-5-5 Mindfulness Worksheet by doing either of the following:

  • Clicking the “Use Template” or “Download Template” button above
  • Searching “5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise” in Carepatron’s template library on our website or app

Step Two. Explain the Worksheet

We recommend that you explain to your client how to fill out the worksheet and assure them they can take all the time they need to complete the sections. 

Step Three. Fill Out the Worksheet

Give your client a copy of the template to write down their answers. 

Step Four. Process the Answers

If your client is stuck on a section and needs ideas, you can help them brainstorm for answers. You may also check their worksheet to ensure that their written answers aren’t harmful to their physical and mental health. 

Step Five. Store Securely

Following the session, you can extend the offer of uploading their completed worksheet onto Carepatron, allowing them convenient access to their dedicated account within the patient portal at any time they desire.5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise Example

5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise Example

Here’s our example of the 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise PDF template featuring a fictional client. You can use this for educational purposes or as a reference. 

Grab a copy of our template for offline use by clicking the sample below or the “Download Example PDF” button above.

Download this 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise Example:

5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise

When would you do this 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise?

Mental health practitioners such as therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors can provide clients dealing with eating disorders, depression, or anxiety with a copy of the template.

According to research, the 5-5-5-5-5 mindful eating exercise can be used in combination with other exercises to treat the conditions mentioned above and disorders. 

The client can use the 5-5-5-5-5 mindful eating exercise during talk therapy or counseling sessions. They can also complete it at home or whenever they feel like they will emotionally eat to distract themselves.

What are the benefits of using this 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise?

Improved self-awareness

To successfully fill out the complimentary worksheet for the mindful eating exercise, it is important to be mindful of various factors. These include identifying potential distractions or sources of relaxation, determining meaningful words of encouragement that resonate with the individual, and recognizing places that provide comfort during emotional eating temptation. Additionally, engaging in this exercise necessitates a sense of self-awareness and acceptance, enabling individuals to recognize when it is appropriate to utilize the suggested activities.

Positive Habit Forming

This worksheet encourages clients to form better eating habits by providing alternatives to managing their emotions that don’t involve eating mindlessly. By presenting alternatives to mindless eating to cope with emotions, this worksheet aims to support clients in cultivating healthier eating habits and emotional well-being.

Fully Digital and Easily Accessible

Since our template is entirely digital, relevant parties such as the physician and especially the client can access, download, and complete the worksheet on any digital device on hand. Furthermore, if the client allows, they can have their worksheet stored on Carepatron, where they can easily access it anytime and anywhere. 

What is the purpose of Mindful Eating?
What is the purpose of Mindful Eating?

Commonly asked questions

What is the purpose of Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is meant to help one form healthy eating habits and teach them to recognize if they’re eating because of physical hunger or to cope with emotions.

When is the 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise normally done?

It’s normally done when the client is experiencing the urge to eat emotionally.

Who can do this 5-5-5-5-5 Mindful Eating Exercise?

Anyone who has mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety, eating disorders, or a desire to improve their eating habits/behaviors can do this 5-5-5-5-5 mindful eating exercise.

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