I don’t know about you, but eating is one of my favorite things to do. I have a burning passion for exploring different cuisines, flavor profiles, restaurants, etc. and love, love, love sitting down for a nourishing meal. Especially with friends.
Despite my self-proclaimed love, I recently noticed that I’m not getting the most out the time when I eat by myself (which is a lot more often now that I work from home) because of distraction.
I want to change this habit and eat more mindfully. Mindful eating is not a diet, or about giving up anything at all. It’s about experiencing food more intensely, especially the pleasure of it. It’s about enjoying each bite, understanding what and how much you are consuming and having a full mind body connection to nourishment. Here are 3 ways I’m trying to be more mindful about my meals:
Limit tech
Am I alone on this or do you ever sit down to eat and get side tracked by Insta, Snap, Youtube, your phone, computer, et al. and before you know it, you look down and wonder, where did all my food go? Almost as though you didn’t even eat! I’m not saying I’ll never eat pizza in front of the TV ever again, but that too should be a conscious choice that marks the exception, not the norm.
Meditate, kinda
You know how when you meditate you are focusing on exactly how your body feels and how the breaths feel coming and going? Eating should be no different. Instead of shoving down food without much thought, I want to take time to think about the texture I’m experience, the bursts of flavors, and how much better I feel during a healthy meal.
Cook more
I think being mindful about what I’m eating starts in the kitchen. Even if it’s a busy day and I need to rely on a pre-packed salad, I like the idea of mindfully putting that meal together. Putting it in a bowl instead of eating out of the plastic cup, or whipping together my own salad dressing real quick and appreciating that process. When things feel more like a true meal and not just a quick fix, it’s a whole lot easier to eat in the moment.
Who else needs to work on mindful eating?
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Uh oh I’m actually watching videos as I currently eat dinner right now… good tip on limiting tech though. I’m going to try it.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Love this post Geri – thank you so much, so true and something I’ve been doing for a few months now. It makes a huge difference! On a less spiritual note…question, where is your top from? 🙂
The first one is really hard for me, I’m so used of eating in front of the television that I honestly don’t know how to do it any differently right now, but that’s definitely something I’m going to try and get better at!
Lucie, xx
http://thefrenchpier.blogspot.com/
These are wonderful suggestions. Tech is a big one for me. I find it hard to not read or watch something while I have my meal. When I do limit the technology present, I am much more mindful of the flavors and tastes of the food. Wonderful article, babe! Xo, Ellese
Rock.Paper.Glam.
great reminder post, i have been mindlessly eating for the past few weeks need to take it slow!
http://www.thestyletune.com
Great, thanks! 🙂
I love the post thanks for sharing
The Pink Pineapple
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I have a hard time cooking but I feel like that would definitely make it easier to eat clean!
Briana
http://beyoutifulbrunette.blogspot.com/
When my now-husband and I first moved in together, we got into the habit of eating all our dinners in front of the TV while watching whatever shows we were binge-watching at the moment. After months of this I realized we weren’t TALKING about our days or connecting at all before passing out each night, and not really paying attention to the food we had prepared. So I asked if we could start doing a few dinners a week at least at our kitchen table. I cleared all clutter off the table and lit candles, even on a random Tuesday when we were just eating leftovers. We liked it so much that we naturally fell into doing that as our default–we still usually have time to watch one show together after dinner, but now it’s AFTER we’ve caught up with each other and properly enjoyed our food. Now we only let ourselves eat dinner in front of the TV if we order takeout, which we do pretty infrequently, and it feels like a little treat that way, too. (Now to tackle my very bad habit of eating lunch at my desk everyday and working straight through my lunch hour… ugh!)
Really helpful post!!
Miki xx
http://littletasteofbeauty.blogspot.it/
I always try to limit tech in my family, it makes diners so much more <3
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The limit tech is something I need to work on.
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ME! It’s been a while since I sat down for a meal without checking on my phone, watching a show or working on something. And this is especially true when I’m eating alone. With friends, it’s easier when I try – I just need to keep my phone out of view – but then, even that still takes some effort and commitment from both ends.
Need to get on this!
I definitely need to work on limit tech when I eat! I know this is something I do a lot when I eat and it really is something I want to stop doing because it’s just not mindful at all. Do you have any tips for how to limit it or stop it altogether?