30-Day Mindful Eating Challenge

My eating habits haven't changed much since I became a vegetarian (the second time around that is). I rarely eat alone, lunch is an excuse to catch up with family members or friends, dinner is little different. And when I do eat alone, I end up eating in front of the television or computer to "save time".



Often, I get so busy in conversation or caught up in a TV show that I forget what I'm eating or what the food tastes like. All my senses aappear to be 'at work', but I don't really taste or feel the food. A meal is just one of the many events that occur during the day.


In retrospect, I realise that I've been feeling a vague undercurrent of dissatisfaction with not only the food I've been eating, but also other aspects of my life. There's always more to do that I haven't done and not enough time to do it all. And so I find a distraction to "replace" that feeling. But it keeps coming back.


Then just yesterday, I stumbled upon a solution on Zen Habits, a blog I read regularly. The writer, Leo Babauta, has written a few posts on mindfulness, which is essentially immersing yourself in the present. Babauta is somewhat of a fan of exiled Vietnamese-Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who advocates simple living.

Mindfulness is not entirely new to me, I practice yoga and during that one hour, I only think about the movements of my body, my breathing and how it makes me feel. The problem is, like many busy people, I multitask so much  outside yoga class that I forget to live in the present. But Leo's blog and Thich Nhat Hanh reminded me to put the brakes on my mad routine for a simpler, happier life. 


I began my challenge this morning. While eating my cinnamon-dusted oatmeal, I closed my eyes and took a deep whiff of my food, smelling the sweet cinnamon powder and brown sugar mixed into it. Then I sat down at the table (sans newspaper and TV remote control) and took my first spoonful, with my eyes closed. I tasted the cinnamon, brown sugar and the oat grains before swallowing the spoonful. With my eyes closed, I could hear the birds chirping in the garden and feel the morning breeze blow in through the windows. I took my next spoonful of oatmeal and it tasted even better than the first. When I finished, I opened my eyes and was amazed at how delicious my simple breakfast had been. (And I'm hardly a fan of oatmeal).


I did the same during lunch, and in the evening, when I had a snack of plain cream crackers and some ginger tea. The crackers crumbled softly in my mouth and the sweet, pungent flavour of the ginger tea was unbelievable! It was almost as if I was drinking the tea for the first time!


So, as of today, for one month I am going to practice mindful eating every chance I get and see where this takes me.It won't be easy keeping it up, but if today was anything to go by, it will be an interesting 30 days.

If mindful eating and conscious living is right up your alley, I recommend you visit The Center for Mindful Eating website, it's an excellent resource on eating mindfully and healthily. Best of luck with your journey!






PS: The video here is of Thich Nhat Hanh speaking on mindfulness. It's a short, but profound reminder of living mindfully. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do.