Mindful Eating- What A Concept

I was thrilled to see this as a cover story in the Dining Section today; the idea that when one is eating, they should be…eating.  Not texting, not surfing the web, not zoned out in front of the telly.

It’s exactly one of the most crucial concepts I try to teach clients to implement.

It’s so simple.  If you’re eating while you’re doing something else distracting, you’re not going to fully enjoy the meal.  In fact,  you may not only not enjoy it as much, it may not even register what, and how much, you’ve eaten!  Especially if you do this as a matter of habit and even more so if you wait too long between eating to the point that you’re ravenous and shoveling in the chow more quickly than people who participate in eating contests!  

Although I definitely do not recommend viewing eating as a leisure activity to participate in when you’re bored, it is absolutely a multi sensory experience, and it should be treated accordingly.

All five senses should be engaged; the sight of the beautiful presentation, the delicious aroma wafting through the air, the taste of fresh mixed greens and wild salmon, the texture contrast of shredded raw kale with soft, spring berries and, of course, the sound of the clinking of the occasional glasses of  viscous, full bodied California Cab to toast the start of a meal.

I actually cover this in depth in my upcoming book, but no harm addressing it now as well!

While the article discusses how the concept of mindful eating having its roots in Buddhism, regardless of where one’s faith lies, there’s one commonality we all have: we all need to eat, and we should do our best to pay attention to it when we’re doing it!

Interestingly, there’s also a discussion regarding how even when people do not eat a particularly healthy diet, if they’re mindful, they may still serve to be even just a touch healthier.  Someone might be in the midst of eating a double cheese burger and fries with a soda, but if they’re tuned in to what they’re doing, they may, perhaps, realize they’re full half way through and end up saving themselves several hundred calories of nothingness.

So, if you’re dining with family, significant others, business colleagues or solo, put away the smart phone, tuck the morning’s paper away in your attache case and take the television out of the breakfast nook.

Just eat.  Enjoy each bite of Paleo goodness.  Savor the nourishment you’re providing to your body and when your body tells you you’re finished, stop.