Imagine sitting down to your favourite meal. The food is hot, and the aroma fills the room, and before you’ve even tasted the first bite, you are already reaching for your phone or tablet. Either you are replying to messages or scrolling through videos.
Sounds familiar?
Welcome to the age of mindless munching. We’ve turned eating into a mindless task. We constantly seem to require stimulation. We are not able to switch off. Just like praying and meditation, eating requires your full attention too. Be completely present during the meal and involve all your senses to enjoy the meal. This is called mindful eating.
Mindful eating isn’t about any restrictive diet or about counting every calorie. It is simply the art of bringing your full, undivided presence to the table. This simple gesture will transform your mealtime into a rich, sensory event.
Before directly diving in to eat your food, look at the plate first. Close your eyes and say a small prayer of gratitude. Now open our eyes and look at the plate. Take five deep breaths. Appreciate the aroma of the food. Look at the different colours of the food. Sit with your legs folded and take the first bite. Chew the food slowly until it becomes a complete liquid and only then swallow your food.
Most people make the mistake of either standing and quickly gobbling down their food or drinking water or soft drinks with their meals. Liquids will dilute the stomach acids, making digestion sluggish. Have a glass of water, only 30 minutes before your meal or 30 minutes after your meal.
Sitting cross legged helps you stay not only focused, but it prevents you from overeating too. Try eating with your hands, as this again signals to your brain when you are full to prevent overeating. When you engage your senses, your brain gets the signal that the food is coming, triggering digestive enzymes before the first bite even lands in your stomach.
We tend to chew food just enough to avoid choking, then hurry to swallow, so we can load up the next forkful. Challenge yourself to chew each bite 20-30 times. This will help you slow down, appreciate your food and prevent over-eating.
Another thing that really helps to bring mindfulness during mealtimes is to set your fork, spoon or sandwich down, between every single bite. Resting your hand forces a brief pause. You cannot rush the next mouthful if your fork is sitting quietly on the table. Breathe, chew swallow-then pick up the fork again.
Televisions, smartphones, laptops and tablets are the ultimate enemies of mindful eating. When your brain is busy processing a storyline or an email thread, it ignores the internal signals that say-HEY this food tastes amazing or Hey I am actually full now!
Start by eating just one meal a day – even just a snack in complete silence or with light calming background music, without using any gadgets. Mindful eating isn’t about perfection. It’s about connection.
The next time your sit down with a plate of food, slow down, and take a moment to appreciate that food. Your body, your mind, and your taste buds will thank you.
Perrin
The Holistic Coach
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