My parents always advised me to do whatever I do with complete involvement and satisfaction. But our present lifestyle has made us all very busy with a tight daily schedule that we hardly find any time or involvement in anything we do is the fact. Starting from prayer to eating our food, we could hardly do anything to our satisfaction is the fact. We have a huge list of reasons for our inability as well. Our mind is engaged with something or the other all the time. This is really a pitiable situation.
Some of us do not even remember what we had for our breakfast. We would have had our breakfast with complete awareness but still, we find it hard to recall it. We could remember that nursery rhymes we learned in our kinder garden, but we do not recall the food we had. Our busy lifestyle has changed us so drastically. One of the main reason for it is, we do not have our attention towards what we eat, we keep thinking of something else while eating our food. Though it is quite a common problem, do not be under any impression that it is an ordinary problem. It is not.
We face a lot of health issues in today’s world because we hardly have awareness or attention towards the food we eat. You have to enjoy what you eat and be mindful of it. In this article, we will look into the importance of mindful eating.
Things you need to keep in mind while eating your food
Preparation: Keep aside all the unwanted thoughts in your mind before heading for your food. You should not keep thinking about work you have to do or you did. You must give complete focus and attention only to the food you eat.
Sitting down while having the food: It is important you remain seated while having the food. When you eat your food in standing or while walking, you will not be aware of how much food you are eating. So you might end up eating less than what your body actually needs. When you are seated while eating, you will feel more relaxed and most likely you will end up eating the right quantity of food. Additionally, it will make you eat fast. Always eat slow, do not be in a hurry.
Avoid TV, Computer, Mobile, Books, Tablets: Many people have the habit of watching TV, working on a computer, reading a book or magazine, chatting over mobile phone while eating their food. This is a very bad habit. Doing this, you will fail to eat healthily and eat in the right quantity. So avoid these habits while eating your food.
Self Serving the Food: It is a good habit to serve yourself the food you need, instead of letting someone else serve you the food. Doing this, you will know the right quantity of food you really need and you will avoid overeating. When you eat more than what your boy actually needs, you will start to put on more weight. Always use a small plate for your food. When you use a big plate you might end up eating more.
Be Thankful: You need to realize the value of the food you eat. Just be aware that some farmer somewhere in the world has worked very hard to put that piece of food on your plate. When you start to realize the value of the food you eat and its importance to your health, you will stop wasting it.
Chew the food you eat: Many Doctors advice that you must chew your food at least 30 times before swallowing it. When you just swallow the food without chewing much, your digestive system won’t be able to absorb the nutrients present in it. This can sometimes lead to digestive problems.
Using the spoon is one of the main reason why we are eating fast. Saying so I do not mean you should not use your spoon at all. After feeding yourself a spoonful of food, keep it down and spend some time chewing the food. Having the spoon in your hand all time will make you go for the next dose faster.
Avoid Wasting the Food: Some people will waste a lot of food even after self-serving the food they needed. This should be avoided. Be more aware of what you add to your plate and only take so much food that you are sure you will finish.
Additionally, make sure the food you eat is nutrient rich. Your food should contain carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber. Have more vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. Drinking milk is good for your health. Just like cooking, eating is also an art. So enjoy the color, aroma, and taste of the food you eat every single time.