Mindful eating is what its name implies. You are eating mindfully. You are paying complete attention to your food, to the reason you are eating, to the tastes and flavors you encounter, and to the experience. It’s much more than just filling your tummy or avoiding getting hungry. It’s actually concentrating on the food and cherishing the eating experience. You are there in the moment and not flying anywhere else while the tasty dish is laid on your table.
This is actually meaningful and helpful for you to savor the food and the moment and also to eat more healthily. Practice this eating manner. Below are 5 tips for mindful eating.
1 – Put your mobile gadgets away.
Distractions are always the number one obstructions to one’s focus towards anything. Mindful eating can be achieved mainly if you put your mobile gadgets away. Keep your cell phone out of sight from the dining table while eating. Do not put it beside you to eliminate any possibility of getting tempted to pick it up.
Concentrate on eating. Do not watch videos or play games on your cell phone as you eat. Those things steal your attention – not only your eyes’ attention but your tummy’s too. You will enjoy the savoriness of your meals if you practice mindful eating. You will be able to feel the food and its flavors in detail if you are present in the moment.
2 – Sit at the dining table.
The best and most appropriate space to eat your meals is at the dining table. Sit there when it’s meal time. Even small snacks in the afternoon are best enjoyed at the dining table too. That’s because you realize more the significance of the food in front of you and of actually paying attention to eating.
You can avoid multitasking as you eat at the dining table unlike if you sit and eat in your study room or living room. Furthermore, it’s fine to make a little mess on the dining table because that’s normal since food, drinks, plates and pitchers are on it.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to eat inside other rooms, especially the bedroom. Why? Obviously, it’s not alright to spill liquids and spread food crumbs on the bed sheets and even on the floor. Ants and cockroaches will be attracted to them, and having them will make your bedroom sticky, stink and gross. You will need to have your bedding washed in no time as well.
That’s a lot of dirt and hassle! Instead of mindfully eating, you are very much conscious about other things while eating, so you cannot fully enjoy your food. Eating at the dining table is the right thing to do.
3 – Look at your food.
Set your mind on your food by looking at your food. Let nothing else have your most awareness but your meals. If you keep looking at other stuff, your mind will be drawn to them more than to your food, and that’s not mindful eating.
The more you look at your food while eating it, the more you will be curious and interested in it. You can relish and delight in it better. You will notice how the bread flour of the pastries you eat at home are of top-notch quality! You will observe how the sauce of the pasta your mom cooks is rich and balmy. The flavors will be more alive to you, the colors clearer to you. That’s a really wholesome way to appreciate the grace served for you.
4 – Avoid talking a lot while eating.
Meal time is often a time to catch up with family and friends. Since everybody is mostly busy, the dining table is like the best and most common place to bond on a daily basis. Without leaving the house, you can spend a good time with the family.
Even so, if you want to practice mindful eating, avoid talking a lot while eating. Again, avoid “a lot”, so that means you do not need to ignore everyone and shut up.
Of course, you can speak with loved ones, but make sure you still get to eat and enjoy your food. Remember to be sensitive to others well. If you notice that they are focused on mindful eating, avoid bombarding them with so many questions or stories. Converse just right. And just like what’s taught to young kids, don’t talk when your mouth is full.
5 – Chew your food well.
Be pleased by your food, and chew it well. Even when you are in a hurry, do not just swallow your food without chewing it to pieces. You might get an upset stomach on top of not being able to enjoy your delicious dishes.
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MIND ON MEALS
In front of your delectable meals, be present. Do not let your mind travel somewhere far. You cannot enjoy and appreciate the blessing on your plate if it’s like that. Sure, you can probably multitask while eating, like you can talk, watch or do something else simultaneously, but fixing your attention to your food will still be best. Keep your mind on your meals! That’s healthier and more proper.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. She finds quality and well-researched writing as a worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. For her, it’s restoring and fulfilling the heart and a great way to clear the mind while loading it up with fresh learning. Film critiquing and filmmaking are among her interests too. Giving all the glory to God, Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She is a daytime writer for Mauri Baking Supplies Australia, a chief supplier of bakery ingredient solutions all over New Zealand and Australia. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.