I love preparing wholesome meals for my husband and myself. It brings me joy to cut up veggies! Weird, right? And I’ve learned that mindful eating matters just as much as the cooking.
I believe that cooking should be done with love and then the dish will give back the love with the way it tastes and the nutrients it provides your body. Sometimes I’ll turn on my favorite music and sing along as I cook. It makes me happy and gives me some extra energy to prepare the meal.
I remember talking about cooking with one of my fellow classmates in Yoga Teacher Training several years ago. Lina loved to cook as well, but we were always baffled by the fact that although it took us 30 minutes to prepare a meal, once served, it was gone in less than 5! Why do we eat so fast or without even tasting and appreciating it?
I read an excerpt from Andrew Weil in one of his cookbooks that really hit home with this subject, and I’d like to share what I took from it.
A Lesson in Mindful Eating From Andrew Weil
Dr. Andrew Weil writes about this in his cookbook The Healthy Kitchen, and one idea stuck with me., and one idea stuck with me. Mindfulness, a practice with roots in Buddhist meditation, simply means paying full attention to what’s happening right now. At the table, that means when you’re eating, you’re really eating. You’re not replaying yesterday or planning tomorrow
Try the Raisin Exercise
Weil mentions a classic way to practice, and it takes about a minute. All you need is one raisin.
- Place it in your mouth and don’t chew yet.
- Notice what’s there. How does it feel on your tongue? What does it taste like?
- Wait. See how long you can hold off before you bite down.
- Chew slowly when you’re ready, and notice how the flavor changes.
it sounds simple, and it is. But it shows you how much you usually miss.
Why Slowing Down Matters
Remember the meal that took me 30 minutes to cook and was gone in five? That’s eating on autopilot. When we eat in front of the TV, while scrolling our phones, or while answering emails, it’s easy to finish a whole bag of chips without remembering a single bite. We end up eating more than we meant to and enjoying it less.
When we slow down, we taste more, and a slower pace gives your body time to let you know when it’s had enough.
Three Ways to Practice Eating Mindfully
- Put the screens away. Try one meal a day with no TV, phone, or laptop.
- Pause before the first bite. Take a breath and notice the colors and smells on your plate.
- Put your fork down between bites. Chew slowly and notice the flavors.
Mindful eating isn’t a rule to follow perfectly. It’s a practice. Start with one meal this week and see what you notice.
Inspired by The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daley (2002).