Eating Mindfully – The Philosophy of Living Well

My parents are truly opposites attract. Mum is calm and slow and Dad is always on the go. Every morning, my parents go for exercise in the park. Lately, mum was not in the mood to go. She told us that she wants to enjoy her breakfast in peace and calm. My dad is that kind who gorges down his meal.

Over the years, I have somehow understood my father’s eating patterns. In his growing up years, food was scarce for his family. Whenever they had food, they would eat it all up in a jiffy. It’s a survival reaction where when we get something we desire so badly; we keep it close to us. When it’s food, they immediately put it into their body.

How many of us have enjoyed all of our meals? We eat so often but do we savor our food?

Most of us are stuck with our problems in our head while eating, some of us eat to alleviate negative feelings and some just eat to fill their stomach.

Food when savored just tastes different. Thich Nhat Hanh once told his followers to savor the taste of the raisin. They had to view it, hold it, pinch it and imagine the taste. Once in the mouth, they could not eat it. They had to leave the raisin in the mouth, appreciate the texture and a few minutes later, they could finally eat it. Post that encounter, his followers approach to food changed.

What is Mindful Eating?

To simplify, mindful eating is a way of life which many of our forefathers practiced. We do not practice this type of eating habit anymore as we live in a fast paced environment and we often adopt mindless eating habits.

The choices we have made in terms of food have contributed to weight gain, health issues and also detach us from the joy and nourishment food is meant to provide.

When practiced, it can transform our perception and relationship to food.

Nevertheless, mindful eating focuses on:
• Engaging all our senses
• Recognizing our responses to food, without judgment,
• Acknowledging our emotions and physical cues to food.

How to start practicing mindful eating?

Mindfulness isn’t very complicated. It’s just hard to do. It’s hard to stay present. It’s hard to stay grateful. It takes energy and sometimes, it takes work. A lot of work.

However, here are some steps of mindful eating that you can start with:

•Consider the wider spectrum of the meal: where the food came from, how it was prepared, and who prepared it.
•Notice how the internal and external cues affect how much we eat and how we react to the food around us.
•Notice how our food looks, tastes, smells, and how our senses react when we are eating
•Acknowledge how the body and stomach feels after eating the meal
•Eat more plant based diets for your health and for environment health
•Honour the food served to us and offer gratitude for it
•Have small bites and chew the food thoroughly to avoid overeating.
•Food should be placed on the plate in modest portions

Reference:
1. Harvard T.H.Chan.School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source. Mindful Eating.