How we eat our food plays an important role in how we digest that food. We receive most of our energy from the food we eat but how much attention do we pay to how we eat it? We live in a culture where food is eaten on the go preventing us from chewing it, digesting it and receiving the nutrients from it properly. Here are a few tips to eating mindfully:
1. Offer gratitude for the food: we take from the earth so to keep that cycle of energy going, offering gratitude for the food we have been provided.
2. Put the gadgets away: Remove any distractions from the dining area. As long as it is not an emergency, it can wait till you are done your meal.
3. Ensure all senses are present when eating your meal. You are looking at your food, smelling it, tasting it, hearing the crunch and touch your food.
4. Take small bites, enough for you to be able to chew with your mouth closed. Chew the food well until you can taste the essence of the food.
5. Listen to your body and eat only when you are hungry. Stop when you are almost full, leaving some empty space in the stomach to churn your food.
Start with eating one meal mindfully and slowly as you enjoy it and see the benefits, you will end up eating all meals mindfully.