We Are How We Eat

Eating is one of life’s great pleasures, and the lack of food one of its great miseries. Since eating is so pleasurable, isn’t it odd that so many of us eat without paying much attention to the food or its quality? We eat too much of what we know does not sustain our health. We eat hurriedly, as though it is just another thing to get through on the way to the next thing. And we try to maximize multitasking while we eat - driving, reading, texting, putting on make-up, and sometimes eating-driving-texting-reading-makeuping - you know you’ve seen it on I-5!  

Let’s try a "mindful eating" experiment (this phrase refers to what we eat, how rapidly we eat, and what we pay attention to while we eat): At your next meal, make eating the only thing you are doing. Sit in silence without distractions. Yes, even if it is a shared meal, make the choice not to speak. Focus your attention on each bite. The taste - what are the various flavors? Where exactly do you “feel” the flavors? Do the flavors change as you chew and as your enzymes begin to digest the food? What about the textures and the feeling of chewing? You might try closing your eyes. Do you find yourself enjoying the food more? Are you more aware of the quality of the food you’ve chosen? What do you notice your mind doing or wanting to do? You may find it difficult to slow down and complete each chewing cycle before going for the next forkful. It may be difficult not to pick up your devices of distraction. You may feel that you are “wasting your time” sitting in silence just eating. These can be helpful insights into our inner world of rushing, distracting, and avoiding. 

Eating mindfully can be a beautiful and evolving lesson, facilitated by your body. Not to mention the health benefits of being more conscious about what we eat, how much we eat, and how hastily we eat. Yes, we are what we eat, but let’s take it another step: We are how we eat. 

Return to Bodies Blog Table of Contents