Mindful Eating Education: A Framework for Fostering Emotional and Physical Health Resilience in Nigerian School-Aged Children and Families

In an era where Nigerian children grapple with rising obesity rates, exacerbated by urbanization, processed food influx, and economic pressures, and families navigate chronic stress from environmental uncertainties, the integration of mindful eating into Home Economics education emerges as a vital strategy for building resilience. This paper proposes a theoretical framework grounded in Kabat-Zinn's mindfulness-based stress reduction model, adapted to the cultural fabric of Nigerian family life, to embed mindful eating practices within school curricula. By fostering intentional awareness during meals such as savoring local staples like jollof rice or garri, Educators can empower school-aged children and their households to cultivate emotional regulation and healthier physical habits, countering the dual threats of stress-induced emotional eating and metabolic disorders. Drawing on family systems theory and ecological perspectives from human ecology, the framework outlines curriculum modules that blend interactive storytelling, communal meal-sharing exercises, and reflective journaling, tailored for low-resource settings like those in Plateau State. Through this lens, mindful eating transcends individual behavior change; it nurtures intergenerational resilience, linking personal wellbeing to sustainable agricultural practices and community cohesion. Preliminary conceptual mapping suggests potential outcomes, including reduced BMI trajectories and enhanced family coping mechanisms, with implications for policy reform in Nigeria's education sector. Ultimately, this approach positions home economics not merely as a domestic skill but as a resilient anchor for future generations, urging policy makers and other stakeholders to champion its adoption amid climate and socioeconomic flux.