if you want to enjoy your food to the maximum then you must try mindful eating. mindfulness basically means to be present in the moment without any judgement or choice.
mindfulness is another name for meditation or dhyan. according to enlightened mystic jiddu krishnamurti “choiceless awareness is meditation”. so when you eat food mindfully then you eat food without bringing your conditioning in between. because everyone have their likes and dislikes about food. so in mindful eating you don’t bring your mind in between. its about eating the food in the present moment and giving your total attention to it. you eat the food slowly but consciously. you try to experience all flavors of the food but yet stay detached. to know more you can check this post on what is mindful eating in practice.
mindful eating has many benefits like you enjoy the food more, you eat healthy food, it helps to lose weight and so on. do know more check this post – 5 benefits of mindful eating.
10 tips for mindful eating:
1. set separate time for eating
most of the time we take eating time for granted. at times we even skip food when we become late for office or college. so if you really want to practice mindful eating then give it due importance and time. when you set separate time for eating then it shows that you are sincere about your mindfulness practice. moreover it will help you greatly to give your total attention to food. so avoid all distractions like phone call while eating food. give your totality to it.
2. eat slowly and consciously
one of the most important thing in becoming mindful is to slow down. it helps you greatly as you can focus totally on one task. when you are hurried then it is more easy to be unconscious. so eat food slowly and chew it well. don’t be in a hurry. when you are chewing food then be a watcher also. don’t get totally lost in the eating. be total in eating and yet be a passive watcher of everything happening inside and outside you.
3. experience all flavors of the food
when you eat food then there are many flavors in the food. notice the warmth of food, its different flavors and taste. when eating food be mindful of your thoughts and emotions also. let no thought pass by without being noticed by you. be watchful of any body sensation or signal also.
4. use your senses
a real foodie also eat food by the aroma of the food as well as with the sight of the prepared food. so take your time to experience the aroma and to see how the food is presented to you. if you can, then try eating food with hands. because when you experience the warmth of food then it triggers and prepare your body for digestion. eating food with hands is better than eating with spoon.
5. enjoy the exercise of mindful eating
the exercise in mindful eating should not be a task or a boring activity. enjoy the experience. in fact when you are eating food mindfully then you actually enjoy the food more. because you are present there in the moment and actually get to taste the food. never make your meditation practice boring or fun. otherwise you will stop doing it. don’t be serious but be sincere, relaxed and happy while meditating.
6. don’t do multi tasking
one of the main reason people eat food mindlessly or unconsciously, is because they are doing other tasks while eating food. it could be watching TV, reading newspaper, playing with phone or talking with someone or thinking about something. mindfulness requires your total attention in the present moment. so bring your total attention to eating and just eating. by the way, multitasking is not a good practice.
7. feel each bite
just as in witnessing thoughts, no thought should pass by without being noticed by you. similarly, in mindful eating no bite should miss your total attention. so eat slowly and watch yourself eating food. if your attention has gone somewhere else then bring it back to the present moment. it will happen many times but as you practice more mindfulnesss in life, then this forgetfulness will decrease with time.
8. don’t choose the food
be neutral or choiceless towards food. because when you are mindful then you don’t judge food as tasty or tasteless. you are just mindfully eating the food. you eat food because it nourishes you. when you eat mindfully then it is difficult to over eat and this will help you to lose weight also. but for this to happen you should be mindful of the signals which your body send to you.
so in mindful eating you have be present while eating food, taste it different flavors and at the same time, you have to be mindful or watchful of your thoughts, emotions and body signals. thats why for beginners it is very important that they dedicate some time for this practice and eat food in a place where there is no distraction and thus it is easy to give your total attention to food.
9. prayer – be grateful for the food
don’t take your daily meal for granted. when you are thankful to god for your food, clothes or for life then you appreciate them more. this also helps you to have a detached attitude towards food. otherwise you might become judgemental towards food that it is not of my choice or it is tasty.
10. practice mindfulness more and more
when you practice mindfulness in small activities of life like walking, talking, listening then it grows. the more you are mindful in life, the more it will increase. so try to be mindful whenever you can. this will help you to be mindful in eating also.
eat food with a relaxed and happy frame of mind. because your emotions while preparing food and while eating food become part of your subtle body. so if you are preparing food then prepare it with love and consciousness.