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 holiday in Koh Samui, while I was lulling about in a pool, I noticed 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. He sits back in his chair and looks out over the ocean while contently chewing.
He then pulls a piece of garnish from the dish and purposefully nibbles it. Before taking another mouthful of spaghetti, he takes a sip of wine and sits back. He is savouring the moment.
The man is clearly savouring every sight, smell, taste, sound and feel of this tranquil dining experience. He is eating mindfully with his full awareness.
How to savour 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. Although we can’t all eat at the seaside, 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
- enjoying the aroma, taste and sensations of each and every mouthful, and noting how it feels in your body.
I share an experience of mindful eating and savouring every mouthful in the blog of my experience of dining in the dark.
Want to eat mindfully and savour every mouthful?
Mindfully eating 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 bring your attention to the moment, which you can do before eating.
If you are interested in learning more about mindful eating and my approach to joyful eating, you may enjoy my blogs that explore:
- My philosophy of bringing joy to eating
- What a joyful eating moment is
- Why you shouldn’t use mindful eating for the intention of weight loss
I also talk about the practice of joyful eating in this interview if you’d prefer audio.
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Joyful Eating: How to Break Free of Diets and Make Peace with Your Body
What is mindless eating, and why do we do it?
Mindless eating is a common issue in our modern society.
We mindlessly eat as we rush out the door for work or school, grabbing a bite to eat to tide us over, sometimes skipping the meal altogether.
We might eat lunch at our desks or in a hurry between meetings or clients. We may snack at our desks or consume snacks simply because they are on offer in the tea room or we need the distraction from our work.
Then we arrive home hungry and tired, often caring and not caring all at the same time about what we eat. It’s just too hard to prepare something healthy.
So we fill up on quick and easy pre-packaged food, a take-away or bland meat and steamed vegetables. We may eat late or eat distracted in front of the TV, checking Facebook or even standing in the kitchen because we have so many chores, study, or have to get the kids to bed.
We may find ourselves desiring a snack, treat or drink to relax ourselves and unwind.
Alternatively, we may find that they are not hungry at all and forget to eat.
Mindful eating is about breaking this cycle we can find ourselves in by drawing our entire awareness to what and why we are eating, our hunger and fullness cues, and truly enjoying eating.
