Mindful Eating

Most of us pay no attention to what we are eating. We are either on our phone, watching television, reading, chatting or preoccupied with our own thoughts.

That is the reason we tend to over-eat. We don’t really savour the flavours of the foods, so the entire experience is not complete.

We also getting diseases because we are not eating with ‘awareness’. From a buffet, we simply pick up what we like, irrespective of whether it is good for us or not.

We don’t think twice before having packaged foods, full of preservatives, oil, sugar and excess salt. In the past going to restaurants was an occasion, now it’s become a weekly or a daily affair. Bereft of hygiene and nutrition, food from outside is a major cause of our ill-health.

A recent statistic showed that India has the second highest population of obese children in the world. This is a matter of concern. Let’s all together learn to ‘eat’

Tips to eat Mindfully…

Love Yourself: It’s only when you begin to love yourself, you will ensure you have the highest quality of food

Pray before a meal: This creates a certain pause, as you don’t start eating straight away. This is a beautiful way of being thankful for the meal too.

Be aware of how the food reaches your table: This could be a good topic of discussion with your children. What is the process of getting food on the table. From the farmer to the wholesaler to the retailer to the consumer to the cook….so many people have contributed towards this one meal. Not to mention the gas, electricity, utensils, spices and more

Pick a smaller plate or bowl: This ensures that you take smaller helpings and not waste food.

Start your meal with a salad: That’s one of the best ways to increase the raw intake in your diet. Also it fills you up, so you eat less of the cooked meal.

Chew slowly: Make this a conscious effort. If you want initially count till 30 to help you get into the practice.

Keep your spoon or fork down after every bite: Before we complete one bite, the next one is ready to go in! Let’s eat slowly. Another lovely way of doing this is by eating with chopsticks!

Eat silently: Your meal experience will enhance multi-fold. Try it! Make once a week dinner a silent one, or the first 10 minutes of every meal a silent one. You could play soft light music at the background. This is one of the best ways to savour the flavours, texture and aroma of your food.

Eat till you are 80% full: This can only happen when you are aware of what you eat.

Give powerful names to vegetables and fruits: Would you like to have the Super Spinach or the Nutricious Nectarines? Some more of the Beautiful Broccoli or Amazing Apples? This especially helps in getting kids to associate goodness with the food that they eat.