Mindfulness at Meals

By: Danielle

It sounds so cliché and hokey right? What is mindfulness anyways?

Well it wasn't until I changed the way I ate that I started to notice a difference. I was the type of person who would do a hundred and one things at meals. Working like crazy on my computer while devouring my lunch. Suddenly I would look down at my plate and realize it was empty. Where did my lunch go?! I was so busy working down my to-do list that I didn't take a second to look at my plate of salad or bowl of soup and actually SEE and TASTE what was in front of me.

We take food for granted sometimes. Imagine our ancestors, not knowing when they would be able to eat next. Hunting and foraging for their next meal. They surely gave their meals all the attention they deserved. But this day in age with endless access to food we tend to forget to appreciate it. Being mindful at meals allows us to do two things: (a) show gratitude for the beautiful food we are so lucky to have and (b) give our bodies a chance to reap the nutritional benefits from that food.



We eat so fast, often multitasking, that we do not get the all the goodness from our meals. And we pay for it later in the day.



We can't taste our food.


We feel less satisfied.


We eat more than we need.


And we're more likely to crave foods.



So why don't we challenge ourselves for the next week and put down our forks in between bites. Let's close our computers. Let's put our phones away. Let's just be with our food. Just the two of us. Let's chew and taste our food. Like really taste it. Pay attention to the way it feels in your mouth, the colours, smells, flavours, temperatures, and even the sounds (crunch!) of our food. Enjoy that apple as if it were your last. It will taste a-maz-ing.

The best part, you will be satisfied and are less likely to reach for a midday muffin or after dinner bowl of chips. Because you not only got the benefit of enjoying your meal with all your senses, you also did so without the stress of everyday life interfering with your digestion. So your body is happy knowing it absorbed and assimilated more nutrients from your meal.

Ok it's time to eat. Enjoy your next mindful meal!