Food + Mindfulness = A Delicious Summer

Hello, fellow human who needs food to survive.

Question… What have you eaten today?

Where did you get your food?

Do you remember eating it?

What were you doing while eating?

(Thank you for reflecting with me)

Eating is a process that is so often done on autopilot. Did you know that subtly changing the way we think while eating can lead to increased productivity, reduce stress, increase happiness, aid with healthy digestion, AND create a more pleasurable eating experience? Well, now you know!

So how do we do this “simple thought adjustment while eating”? The answer: Mindful Eating.

What is a mindful eating practice?

Mindful eating is simply slowing down and tuning in to the present moment during the process of eating. Below are a few ways one can practice mindful eating. 

Three Aspects of Mindful Eating

Awareness/Recognition: We become aware of our food by pondering different aspects of how the food came to be on our plate. Some questions you can ask yourself during this practice:

1. Where was this food grown?

2. What ingredients are inside the food?

3. Who helped get this food from the earth to my plate?

4. Who prepared this food for me? 

Awareness and recognition practice gives us the opportunity to appreciate all the people and elements that contributed to the food in front of us. When we pause to think about where food comes from, we are more inclined to make more helpful and sustainable food choices.

Gratitude: Did you know that practicing gratitude can actually help us digest our food better? We can practice gratitude while eating by appreciating every aspect of the eating experience. Some suggested aspects to be grateful for:

1. Gratitude for the people that helped process and transport our food

2. Gratitude for who prepare our food

3. Gratitude for the delicious taste food has in our mouth 

Sensory Exploration of Your Food: We can use our five senses to explore our food. This practice is done slowly and with gratitude.

1. Use the sense of sight to look at the shapes, colors, and other aspects of the food.

2. Observe or touch the texture of our food (if reasonable, of course)

3. Close your eyes, then take a deep breath in. What do you smell? Can you smell different scents, flavors, or seasonings?

4. Although this might feel a little silly, you can even hold food up to your ear to see if you can hear anything. Or you can listen as you take a bite. (We know for certain that Rice Krispies have a sound!)

5. Taste the food, really taste it. Let the food sit on your tongue for a couple of seconds before chewing. Spend time chewing and see how the flavors and textures change. Our stomach appreciates chewing because the enzymes in our saliva break down more food before moving to our stomach.

If food wasn’t wonderful enough, mindful eating can help you stay more present with this delightful experience. At Mind Chicago, we are big proponents of practicing mindfulness whenever you can. The more we practice (yes, even during an ice cream outing!) the more adept we get at doing it when we need it the most. In other words, don’t just practice taking hold of your mind when things are rough… practice when things are delicious. 

Hungry yet?

For more information on having a mindful summer with the help of a therapist, reach out to us at hello@mindchicago.com.

Authored by Mind Chicago therapist, Fatima Sakrani, LSW