Mindful eating

Homo Sapiens eats as he does everything else: fast!

In a society where everything is accelerating, it is no longer always instinctive to slow down the pace: we rush in the bathroom in the morning, on the way to work, we eat in less than 20 minutes at lunchtime, we return home as quickly as possible, we quickly prepare dinner only to gobble it up in a few bites. And the day is over... Only to start again better tomorrow!

Living at 2000 km/h can make us believe we are winning the great war against time. And yet, this pace of life often makes us miss the essentials: a good breakfast, the bird that lands on the windowsill, the youngest who has finally managed to tie her shoelaces, the taste of our delicious evening salad…

Directing one's attention to food

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who played a key role in introducing mindfulness to the West said: «When we eat, we can try to direct our attention to only two things: the food we are eating, and the friends who surround us and eat with us. This is what is called food mindfulness.»

At Fidafruit, we regularly participate in tastings of nuts and dried fruits offered by Frédéric, our quality manager. The aim is to verify that our products meet our quality requirements.

During these tastings, we are asked to concentrate carefully on the food and observe its colour, smell, texture and taste. These are for us privileged moments where we reconnect with the present moment.

You also experience these moments when you discover a local speciality during your travels, or when your mum lets you taste her new recipe of sweet bread.

Mindfulness for a new relationship with food

As Joanne says in the superb book "Tout le bleu du ciel" by Mélissa Da Costa: «You would be surprised to see how much better things are when you savour them mindfully. Here you see, I can look at the cake. We never really look at what we eat. I can spend several minutes looking at it, trying to guess its fragrance, what texture it will have in the mouth, whether the caramelised layer on top will be crunchy or melting. Then, I can close my eyes and concentrate on the smell. I feel it melting slowly against my palate, I discover the first aromas that emerge, my taste buds awaken. It is like little bubbles of happiness bursting on the tongue. And then, there is this feeling of well-being throughout the body.»

Reading this, one cannot help but want to live this almost mystical experience on a daily basis.

Good news, it is rather simple! Just follow these steps:

Taking the time

The first thing to do is to sit calmly in your chair. To connect with the moment and breathe. You will take this time throughout the meal. There is no rush. Enjoy the present moment.

Listening to your hunger

Before eating, you must listen to your body. What is it telling you? Are you hungry? Or are you rather eager to eat? Listen to it, hear it, connect with it.

Eating with the senses

Like Joanne, we take the time to observe what we are going to eat:

• We guess the taste, the texture. We observe the different colours of our plate.
• Then we breathe in the aromas that caress our nostrils. We try to identify them.
• From the first bite, we take the time to perceive the different flavours while the food is in our mouth. Is it salty? Sweet? Can you perceive the taste of the foods separately?
• Then we bite, we chew. Slowly. What texture do your foods have?

Did you know? Buddhist monks chew each mouthful up to 30 times!

Listening to your satiety

Take your time, take a break, and listen to your body and your sensations again. What are they telling you? Are you really still hungry?

Taking the time to congratulate yourself

Après chaque séance de pleine conscience ou de méditation, faites une pause pour vous féliciter d’avoir pris le temps de ralentir, d’avoir choisi de vous connecter à l’instant présent. Notez également qu’il n’y a pas de bonnes ou de mauvaises façons de faire. L’important c’est d’essayer. Un jour n’est pas l’autre, une séance n’est pas l’autre non plus. Félicitez-vous simplement de prendre soin de vous. 

Recommencez

The more mindfulness sessions you do, whether eating or not, the more your mind will get into the habit of concentrating on the present moment. Thus, it is preferable to do several short mindfulness sessions throughout the day rather than a single long session. After a few weeks, you should notice a difference in your overall well-being! YES!

The benefits of mindful eating

Mindful eating allows you to experience a new relationship with food, which offers various advantages:

• Mastering one's impulses through self-observation
• Chewing more, thus facilitating digestion
• Eating less: the brain needs about twenty minutes to feel satiated. By taking the time to eat, you will experience satiety before feeling the urge to take a second helping.
• Rediscovering the pleasure of eating

Daily mindfulness for a gentler life

Obviously, mindfulness moments are not limited to mealtimes. You can decide to do any action mindfully to fully enjoy each moment. Thus, even unpleasant moments can be observed objectively to sometimes transform into a pleasant one (yes, I'm thinking about housework and doing the dishes). Don't believe it, test it!