Thoughtful Eating
With all the focus on what to eat—sufficient nutrients, low-calorie, low-fat—it’s easy to forget about one important eating factor: how we eat. In our often too-hurried lives, we forget that eating isn’t just about shoveling in enough calories so that we can get through the day. Nor is it about depriving ourselves and consuming just enough to keep slim. Eating is a joyous occasion. Foods offer delicious flavors, mouth-watering aromas, and pleasing textures—all of which are tied to emotions. Satiety—the feeling of fullness—is a vital, life-affirming feeling.

First, slow down. Avoid rushing through meals. Gulping down foods isn’t good for the digestive system. Plus, chewing slowly aids feeling full without eating as much. For one thing, when you munch in a hurry without thinking, it’s easy to eat too much before you even realize it.

But thoughtful eating is about more than just pace. Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh writes about mindful eating. He says that, before each meal, we should contemplate what we are about to consume. Look at the orange on the plate, he suggests, and see in it the seed that grew into the tree that flowered into the fruit. Be grateful for the earth that cradled the seed, the sun that provided the energy to grow and photosynthesize, the rain that watered the thirsty plant, and the seasons the little tree endured.

Wholesome living and eating is about so much more than just food itself. Life is about enjoyment. Don’t forget to let eating be a part of that joy.