Eat Mindfully
I talk a lot in this column about eating healthy foods, prepared well. I believe that the process of eating is as important as the food that you eat -- well, maybe not quite as important, but very important nonetheless! By making sure that you eat your meals consciously and deliberately, you will feel better, you will experience your food more deeply (thus leading you to make healthier food choices), and you will be healthier. What does this look like?
Good, healthy, delicious, lovingly prepared food, shared with loved ones or eaten alone is one of the great gifts of our world -- Cherish it!
I talk a lot in this column about eating healthy foods, prepared well. I believe that the process of eating is as important as the food that you eat -- well, maybe not quite as important, but very important nonetheless! By making sure that you eat your meals consciously and deliberately, you will feel better, you will experience your food more deeply (thus leading you to make healthier food choices), and you will be healthier. What does this look like?
- Chew each bite of food 20 or 30 times. Once you do that easily, try increasing it to 40 or 50 times. Your system will work more smoothly, you will find it easier to savor your food, and you will likely experience tastes you don't usually experience and enjoy.
- Watching Downton Abbey the other night, I noticed Lady Mary being called in to a formal meal on her own. Each meal does not need to be a formal state occasion, but take the time to set a place for yourself at a table. Make eating an enjoyable timeout from your otherwise busy, hectic life. A meal is a great opportunity to hit the pause button on your day. If you have a family, use it as a time to reconnect with them, focus your attention on the meal, and enjoy the whole experience.
- Breathe before you start. Take a moment before starting to eat to take a deep breath. Be fully present in the moment. Know that whatever else is going on with your day, this is a time to nourish yourself, mind, body and spirit.
- Think about your food as a life force. Find a way to send energy to the food and to thank it for nourishing you. If you find Reiki to be a practice you relate to, hold your hands over your meal for a moment and channel life energy, if you say a prayer before meals, do that.
Good, healthy, delicious, lovingly prepared food, shared with loved ones or eaten alone is one of the great gifts of our world -- Cherish it!