Conscious eating

LIKE any good student of philosophy, to understand “mindful eating,” appreciate first its antithesis – “mindless eating.” For the most part, that’s easy - because that’s what we do when we eat in front of the TV, munch popcorn while watching a movie, or wolf down what’s supposed to be lunch eaten in 30 minutes but gone in five.

It’s not a Contest. Daily eating is not about how many hotdogs you can stuff at the shortest possible time. There are no cheers for eating too fast – only indigestion and lots of gas. Unfortunately, the fast pace of life in the city also means faster eating. Mindful eating is about slowing down. As Jeff Gordinier, writing for The

New York Times says, it “is not a diet, or about giving up anything at all [but] about experiencing food more intensely.”

What It is.According to The Center of Mindful Eating (http://www.tcme.org), eating is mindful by:

• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.

• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor, and taste.

• Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral, or dislikes) without judgment. • Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

Therefore, food as meditation, and becomes a literal pabulum or “food for thought.”

From a clinician’s point of view, eating slower may mean less food in the stomach and less indigestion, and true satiety. Your body will tell you that you’ve had enough food.

Mastering Mindful Eating. Jules Clancy (http://zenhabits.net/mindfuleating/) shares some ways to begin this healthful habit now. First, he says to start small. This means start with a snack or one meal in a day where there can be quiet and focus on mindful eating is possible.

Second, stop multitasking at meal times. We are all guilty of doing other things while eating (especially watching TV). He suggests setting aside time for eating without entertainment.

Third, eat only at the table.This ties eating only at the dining table and so prepares you for mindful eating. There will be no more eating at the desk, in the car, in bed.

Fourth, focus on each mouthful. Concentrate on the taste, texture and sound of food. Engage all your senses. And fifth, chew your food slowly. Other aspects of mindful eating dwell on preparing and cooking food. Purists cook the food that they have grown.

While it is true that mindful eating draws heavily from the Buddhist tradition, our immersion in Lent gives a similar experience. As a child, my mother would remind me of “no meat” on Fridays. Our practice of mortification makes us appreciate what we take for granted (food-wise). Paradoxically, it is in denying ourselves that we experience fullness. In a way, mindful eating resets our relationship with food. It’s worth a try.

“My appetite comes to me while eating.” — Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), French Renaissance writer Of Vanity, Book iii Chap. Ix in Essais(1580)