As we go through our day to day lives, it’s easy to do almost everything without thinking it through. That’s why I focus on mindfulness in my wellness practice. When it comes to eating especially, an emphasis on mindfulness can impact the way we approach food.

Not only can eating mindfully help you eat healthier, but it can also help you enjoy food more. Eating slowly helps you fully experience all the elements a meal has to offer. Practicing mindfulness means taking the time to explore each of the following elements during mealtime:

Sight

 

Before you bite into your next piece of food, take a good hard look at it. When was the last time you really appreciated the texture of a vegetable or the color of a piece of fruit? Try to imagine all the rain and sunlight and work that went into bringing that piece of food to your plate.

Smell

Smell might seem obvious, but we often eat our food before our noses can truly enjoy it. Bring your food to your nose and without naming the scent, just try to experience it. Enjoy it and try to describe what you smell.

Physiological Reaction

Sometimes your mouth starts producing saliva before food even enters it. Pay attention to that mind-body connection. Take note of how your senses are responding in real-time to the food you’re gifting your body.

Touch
Notice how the food feels on your tongue, or even in your hands and on your fingertips. Don’t try to find words for the sensation. Just experience the physical sensation of it and let that guide your brain to an emotion, and sit with that for a moment before digging in.

And now… time to eat!

MOTION AND MOVEMENT
How is it that your hand knows how to move the food directly to your lips? As you bring the food up to your mouth,
notice what happens next. The mouth receives the food. Nothing goes into the mouth without it being received.
And who or what is doing
the receiving? The tongue. Observe what the tongue does with it. How does it get
the food between the teeth? It’s amazing that the tongue is so skilled, and that such a remarkable muscle can
actually receive food and then know what to do with it every time.
TEXTURE
As you chew, the tastes changes, as does the consistency. At a certain point you’ll become aware of the texture
of the food because the taste has mostly passed. If the texture causes aversion, you may want to swallow it, but
try to keep it in your mouth.
SWALLOW
Don’t swallow it yet. Stay with the impatience and the inborn impulse to swallow. Then observe what’s involved in
getting the food down to your stomach. When you detect the impulse to swallow, follow it down into the stomach,
feel your whole body, and acknowledge that your body is receiving nurturing food.
BREATHE
Next, pause for a moment or two, and see if you can taste your breath in a similar way. Bring the same quality of
attention to the breath that you gave to seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting the food.
SILENCE
Be silent. At this point, you probably understand what meditation is. It’s doing what we do all the time, except
we’re doing it with attention – directed, moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental atte
PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTION
Now focus on what’s going on in your mouth. Begin to notice that saliva is produced, even though you haven’t yet
put the food in your mouth. Notice the mind-body connection and how your senses respond right before you eat.
TOUCH
Now notice how the food feels on your tongue. Without naming the sensation, just experience the mouthfeel.
© 2013, 2016 Integrative Nutrition, Inc. | Reprinted with permission
MOTION AND MOVEMENT
How is it that your hand knows how to move the food directly to your lips? As you bring the food up to your mouth,
notice what happens next. The mouth receives the food. Nothing goes into the mouth without it being received.
And who or what is doing
the receiving? The tongue. Observe what the tongue does with it. How does it get
the food between the teeth? It’s amazing that the tongue is so skilled, and that such a remarkable muscle can
actually receive food and then know what to do with it every time.
TEXTURE
As you chew, the tastes changes, as does the consistency. At a certain point you’ll become aware of the texture
of the food because the taste has mostly passed. If the texture causes aversion, you may want to swallow it, but
try to keep it in your mouth.
SWALLOW
Don’t swallow it yet. Stay with the impatience and the inborn impulse to swallow. Then observe what’s involved in
getting the food down to your stomach. When you detect the impulse to swallow, follow it down into the stomach,
feel your whole body, and acknowledge that your body is receiving nurturing food.
BREATHE
Next, pause for a moment or two, and see if you can taste your breath in a similar way. Bring the same quality of
attention to the breath that you gave to seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting the food.
SILENCE
Be silent. At this point, you probably understand what meditation is. It’s doing what we do all the time, except
we’re doing it with attention – directed, moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental atte