4 Stages Of Mindful Eating
It's time to talk about one of our favorite things to do… eating. People define eating differently. For some, it is merely a way to fuel their bodies. Some people love eating so much that they plan their next meal right after they finish a meal. For some, it is a cherished family-time ritual. For others, it is a way to explore. Different cultures have different ways to eat. In some cultures, eating is done solely by hand. It is a great way to connect with your food. There are many ways to eat food and they all of their advantages and disadvantages. However, only one kind of eating is believed by experts to be the least beneficial, if not outright harmful, and that is eating fast food. Eating fast food has grave consequences on our health and not only because of the ingredients used in making it. But then again, we all have heard how much eating fast food is bad for us. To understand why mindful eating is so important, you have to look at it this way: eating fast food is the exact opposite of mindful eating… it is mindless eating. We want to dig a little deeper to understand what mindful eating really means.
Harvard Health defines mindful eating as "being fully attentive to your food—as you buy, prepare, serve, and consume it." Being mindful means being present and focused while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. It sounds easy in theory, but to fully integrate it into every step will take some work. We will step break it down into four stages and explain each step in detail. You can start from the first step, master that, and then move to the next step. You might have, knowingly or unknowingly, already been practicing one or more of the steps, but now, you get to expand on it and make it a part of your life.
Stage 1: Shopping
Mindful eating begins with planning your meal. Start by finding a healthy recipe. Look through the recipe and make sure you feel comfortable with the instructions and ingredients. The create a shopping list for yourself. Creating a shopping list lets you consider each ingredient and acknowledge every little item you will include in your meal. It also helps you avoid impulse buying things that you don't need or things that are unhealthy.
Stage 2: Preparing Your Meal
Some say this is the most enjoyable stage. It is the part where you create your meal. You get to be creative and have a little fun with it. However, if you don't have a ton of experience in the kitchen, this step might also be the most overwhelming. To make preparing your meal an enjoyable one, you need to do a little thing the French like to call "Mise En Place" or Setting Up. Mise En Place means that you set up everything you need in front of you. You don't want to be in the middle of cooking your onions and realize the diced chicken breast you need to add next is still in its packaging in the refrigerator. This will create a stressful environment and will have the opposite effect of mindfulness. We want to move away from the chaos and into calm.
Stage 3: Serving Your Food
Sure, you can throw everything onto the dish, and it will taste exactly the same. However, mindfully plating your food will add a whole other level to your experience. First, place your main ingredient or your protein in the middle. Then you can start adding your vegetables or side dishes around your main ingredient. Pro tip: try adding garnishment to enhance your food visually. Make it look pretty, and YES! Snap a photo for the gram. Why not?
Stage 4: Eating Your Food
Yes, you can have your food and eat it too. You went through all the steps, and now it's time to enjoy it. But before you do, and this is an essential step, you need to appreciate your food. If you practice any religion that requires you to pray, this is the time to do it. If you do not, take a minute or two to contemplate all the different stages of preparing your meal and all the people involved to bring the meal to your table and be thankful for being able to enjoy healthy and delicious food with the people you're enjoying it with.