Plate up your food and eat away from distractions to savour the sight, smell, taste, sound and feel of eating each and every mouthful.

Savouring the moment

On a holiday in Koh Samui, while I lulled in a pool, I notice a man sitting alone with his bowl of spaghetti and wine, contently looking out over the ocean.

He takes in the scenery and then a mouthful of spaghetti. Then he gently puts down his fork and spoon, sits back in his chair and looks out over the ocean, while contently chewing.

He then takes a piece of garnish from the dish and purposefully nibbles on it. Before taking another mouthful of spaghetti, he takes a sip of wine and sits back. He is savouring the moment.

He is clearly savouring every sight, smell, taste, sound and feel of this tranquil dining experience. He is eating mindfully with his full awareness.

Savouring every mouthful

Savouring every mouthful is part of a mindful eating practice, where our full attention is on our eating, without distraction or judgement.

You too can embrace mindful eating by:

• eating away from distractions, preferably in an environment that is relaxing. However, we can’t all eat seaside, but stepping out of the office and taking in some nature in a local park, watching some birds or people in a busy street or simply plugging in some music, can create a similar effect;
• plating up your food so that you’re fully aware of what you are about to eat and how appealing it is; and
• enjoying the aroma, taste and sensations of each and every mouthful, and noting how it feels in your body.

Want to eat more mindfully?

To mindfully eat requires quieting our mind and focusing on the sensory experience of the moment, without distraction or judgement. For this reason, I have produced a Guided Body Scan Meditation to help you bring your attention to the moment, which you can then do before eating.

There are also many misconceptions about what mindful eating is and is not, which I cover in my book, Joyful Eating. If you are interested in learning more, you may enjoy my blog, 4 reasons why you shouldn’t adopt mindful eating for weight loss.