Forging a Connection with Food: Eating Mindfully

If you've started a vegetable garden, you have already made the first step towards creating an unbreakable bond with your food that runs from soil to stomach. The next step takes place once the harvest has been reaped and the bounty hits the plate: mindful eating. You've probably heard a lot about this practice; in recent years, mindful eating has taken over the Western world by storm.

A scrumptious meal is worth savoring.

The principles of mindful eating have brought back one of the simplest and most beautiful pleasures of life: the joy of eating.

But exactly why is this mindful eating stuff so great?

Eating is amazing on many levels. The idea that our planet is full of molecular combinations that are nutritious to the animals that dwell upon it is magical in itself. To sweeten the deal, these nutritious compounds are pleasing to us on a sensory level. And if serious thought about the beauty of such a fact doesn't blow your mind, realize how many different flavor, textural, and aromatic variations exist between the foods in our world.

Too many people have forgotten the wonder of eating. Mindful eating is about reconnecting to the basic facts: the present moment, food, eating, and your spirit are all wonderful things.

And if you already have a healthy relationship with food, mindful eating will only enhance it by bringing you closer into the present and yourself.

This sounds amazing. How can I jump on the bandwagon and experience such bliss?

Start gradually; eat a mindful snack one day, work up to an entire meal the next. While engaging in the practice, take these steps to get the full experience:

• Take a moment or two to quiet and deepen your breath. By doing this, you're looking inward and connecting to yourself; only when you connect to your inner being can you appreciate your ties to the comestibles you're about to take in.
• Sit down at the table and take a moment to look over the food options that you've been given. If you've grown your own food, also take time to remember the journey it has endured to make it to your serving dish. Find gratitude for the wonder of nature that made this meal possible.
• Carefully choose the foods that you'd like to eat and place them on your plate.
• Take a piece of the food that you look forward to eating the most and smell it before placing the piece in your mouth.
• Note the texture and flavor notes and begin to chew slowly. Don't think about anything but the food. Immerse yourself in it.
• Appreciate the unique personality of the food as you masticate the food slowly and thoroughly.
• Continue to repeat this process, taking extended breaks at intervals throughout the meal to listen to your body. These intermissions should last for between one and two minutes.

To further enhance the experience, only eat when you're hungry, don't force yourself to consume anything that you dislike, don't speak while eating or engage in any distracting activities like watching TV or writing a blog entry, and of course, try to know where your food came from as much as possible.

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