I was tossing around a couple ideas for this curation and mindful eating was in the forefront. I started reading “be free where you are” by Thich Nhat Hahn.
He mentions how in the United States where food is plentiful there is not much time taken for eating. I discovered this years ago in the middle of my auto immune troubles when I was in the process of healing. A friend of mine said, why don’t you slow down when you eat and chew your food more, that could probably help your digestion. I started being mindful of my eating and I discovered at first I was swallowing chunks of food and expecting my digestion to just take care of it and break all that down. Once I realized how fast I scarfed my food down I began to be more mindful and actually chew my food and the impact on my digestion was incredible.
Thich Nhat Han says, “Eating can be joyful and you don’t need to eat a lot to be healthy.
When I pick up my chopsticks or fork, I take time to look at it for a moment. A fraction of a second is good enough for me to identify the food... I will smile at it, put it in my mouth and chew it with complete awareness of what I am eating.”
These simple ways of gratitude and appreciation allow our bodies to assimilate our food in a different way. It fills your body with love and gratitude.
Thich Naht Han also goes on to say that he fills more full when he eats this way, that his body is more satiated with the food when it is ingested mindfully. That brings up curiosity for me could Mindful eating make less food go farther?
For me growing up in the US we are ingrained from a very young age to eat quickly. In school by the time you get your food you have 10-15 minutes to eat, and with talking and socializing happening if goes really quick. For years as a waitress I would shovel my food in my mouth standing up, in minutes when I could.
Children are a great example of mindful eaters, they love to touch the food, look at it, examine it, and then slowly put it in their mouth and chew. We come into this world Mindful and aware and seems we are untrained slowly to become more preoccupied and distracted.
Here is a link to a talk by Thich Naht Han about mindful eating:
For me it all goes back to living in the moment and being present with what is. I also like to bless my food. I put my hands over my food and say I bless this food with love, I thank this food for giving it’s life to nourish my body.
When I practice these techniques I have wonderful digestion. I am able to enjoy my food and bask in gratitude. I am able to control sugar cravings and overeating. It is really incredible how a little mindfulness goes a long way. I have even been able to eat foods I used to no longer be able to tolerate at all. I truly believe it is due to the mindfulness and loving energy I give to the food and then the food nourishes me back.
Curation by @consciousangel7
Here are some other articles on mindfulness I really enjoyed:
@vincentnijman/life-is-like-a-plate-of-pasta-you-can-make-it-the-way-you-like-it
A great blog on how life is your recipe and you get to choose what to make out of it.
@vibernation/getting-into-the-now
A very in depth look into mindfulness and what it means to be in the now.
This is a great story of the duality of nature, life, and how plants can hurt and heal all at the same time.
@bewithbreath/my-natural-medication-is-meditation
This is an insightful blog on why meditation can be the best medication.
Every moment we are mindful we give ourselves the gift of being present and enjoying the richness and beauty life has to offer. Thank you for your mindfullness with me today!
And in other news...
The winner of SBI for this past week is @vincentnijman! Congratulations! Each week we award someone posting under #mindfulife with a little SBI to say thank you for your enthusiasm and wisdoms. Vincent's been enthusiastic about his meditation journey since the beginning and we thank him for his joy.
***Meditations are on hold until August 7th - @bewithbreath has been called to Nepal for a family emergency. Please send him and his family metta in this difficult time. Looking forward to his return! ***
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