MINDFUL EATING

I’m a fast eater. If I’m not being mindful I can almost eat half the plate without having even tasted the food. Especially if I’m looking at my phone or anything else while eating.

Eating mindlessly creates trouble for the digestion (remember; your digestion starts in your mouth) as it can make you eat too much and too fast, because you are not paying attention to what you are doing nor when you are satisfied. We feel less full if we’re distracted when we eat, and so we eat more because we haven’t properly processed what we are eating.

Food and eating has for many become such a common source of unhappiness, although we live in a country with an abundance of food. One of the fundamental resons for this imbalance with food and eating is that we've forgotten how to be present as we eat. We eat mindlessly. As well as putting a strain on your digestion (and liver) as you chew too little, eat too fast and too much, you rob yourself from the pleasure of eating and enjoying your food when you are not being present. Food can be such a beautiful and nourishing part of your life. It can be a way of finding pleasure in everyday life, a way of healing, a way of taking care of yourself and your body. A way of finding presence as you return back to the present moment. So how do we find back to the enjoyment and freedom around food?

Start by putting away your phone while you eat. Mindful eating involves paying full attention to the experience of eating. Pay attention to what you are eating and how it tastes. Pay attention to the colors, smells, textures, flavors and temperatures. Pay attention to the experience of the body. Do you feel hunger? Do you feel satisfaction? Make sure to also pay attention to the mind. Does judgement, criticism or anxiety come up while you eat? Why? Watch when the mind gets distracted, pulling away from the full attention to what you are eating. Watch the impulses that arise after you’ve taken a few bites; the urge to grab a book, turn on the TV, or reach for your phone. Notice the impulse and return to just eating.

Taste. Chew. Breathe. Relax. Enjoy. Be present.