View Full Version : Mindful Eating Challenge
Hey everyone!
I'm creating a challenge for those of us who want to be more mindful about our eating. What I eat is fine, but how I eat it is a bit of a problem. I work from home so most of my meals are in the comfort of my own home, and I mean comfort! I've fallen into the habit of eating my breakfast while browsing online and my lunch while watching tv, usually a cooking show or a streaming episode on the Netflix. Which then leads to an extended period of sitting, either mindlessly surfing the net or watching tv.
I want to change that habit and have my meals either at the island sitting on a stool, or at the table sitting on a chair. I don't want to eat standing up at the counter either. It's kinda strange how the idea of eating without having something to look at as a distraction feels weird. Kinda lonely. I'll probably put on some music to make it feel less isolated. I think this difficulty stems from growing up in a large family where we always had family meals together and they were very social. Now, eating by myself feels lonely and too quiet. Eating outside helps, but now the weather is changing and it's getting a bit cold.
Anyone want to change a small thing about eating to make it more mindful and satisfying?
greenclaire
9-21-16, 3:28pm
Yes, I'm in.
I've got into really bad habits now I'm back at work. I need to stop eating on the go or at my desk and actually stop 3 times a day to eat properly.
A group of friends and I meet a couple of times a month and discuss topics. We are discussing food, diets and one of Michael Pollan's books covers how eating is cultural, social etc not just for fragmenting into health components.
"Pollan's book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, released on January 1, 2008, explores the relationship with what he terms nutritionism and the Western diet, with a focus on late 20th century food advice given by the science community. Pollan holds that consumption of fat and dietary cholesterol does not lead to a higher rate of coronary disease, and that the reductive analysis of food into nutrient components is a mistake. He questions the view that the point of eating is to promote health, pointing out that this attitude is not universal and that cultures that perceive food as having purposes of pleasure, identity, and sociality may end up with better health. He explains this seeming paradox by vetting, and then validating, the notion that nutritionism and, therefore, the whole Western framework through which we intellectualize the value of food is more a religious and faddish devotion to the mythology of simple solutions than a convincing and reliable conclusion of incontrovertible scientific research."
I happen to agree with his view and so, as a widow, have chosen to invite friends occasionally for a sit-down meal to improve my socializing skills and bring enjoyment of food back into my life. It is very easy to develop habits that don't add to the enjoyment of food, isn't it?
I make a point of sitting down to eat at my table with a serving of my flatware, condiments and have started to fuss a little about my meal preparation to regain my enjoyment. Cooking for one can be a drag but with a fancy salad spread over two days, a variety of salad dressings, some tasty starch and a quality protein, life is more fun and interesting.
So I am in to get some ideas and even some recipes that work well. I have discovered that tortillas are fun to fill with a huge variety of ingredients is my first contribution. For lunch, I fried 2 eggs and wrapped them with some salsa and had reheated stir-fried veggies plus tea and an apple from a local grower.
I have to say that I would love to eat more mindfully. I am a very fast eater, which is not good for digestion, I know. But since I was a little girl I've always eaten as if it were a thing I had to urgently cross off my to-do list. My DH is constantly yelling at me. The only being I know that eats faster than I do is my dog. I just finished wolfing down a plate of spaghetti--carrying it around the house to say goodbye to DH who was going to a meeting tonight, checking out Wheel of Fortune and looking for my glasses.
I've read Thich Nhat Hanh's book Savor which is great inspiration for mindful eating, but it didn't change my behavior. Not sure if anything will at this point, but I'm happy to join others on the challenge!
rosarugosa
9-21-16, 8:29pm
I'm in! I decided to start tracking my food intake today on my Fitbit program instead of just tracking steps.
Chicken lady
9-21-16, 9:16pm
I checked out Mark Bittman's "food matters" from the library.
he read Michael pollan so I don't have to ;)
also so it includes a month of menus, most of which are flexitarian (I'm veg, dh is not)
also, dh likes the nytimes, so he is willing to try this with me.
i have lost 7 lbs.
the meals are mostly easy to fix and yummy. we are eating better.
Some further thoughts that have come to me as I walked the dog each morning. Mindful eating is really much more than a diet, I think. It is a lifestyle one chooses. Sort of like a three-legged stool - thoughtful food choices, thoughtful activities and thoughtful approach to life as food is so much more than simple ingredients. As one poster mentioned, some people are veg, some not; some foods are wonderful cultural memories; some are more affordable; some take time to prepare, some not; some store well; some take diverse ingredients; some are organically grown and some are homegrown and more...
This thread is making me think a lot more about it so thanks for starting it.
Hi razz - I agree that mindful eating is about how we eat, not what we eat. The simplest, most humble, meal savored and enjoyed mindfully will feel indulgent and luxurious.
Unfortunately I have not made any changes to my own eating rituals. Not really sure what to do actually. What does one do when eating alone to make it feel less lonely? I like razz's idea of creating a pretty table for oneself but haven't done it. I used to read while I ate but I think that's also a type of distraction. The only thing I can think of is eating outside because that makes me feel peaceful and mindful. I guess I can start with that although it's so easy to just plop on the couch! :|(
Thinking about it, eating outside might add to the mindfulness of it because there are certain things I'll need to do as part of the eating ritual. These are the same things that make it easier to eat inside on the couch while watching tv: brush off the patio table and chair if there's tree debris, do a quick sweep if the area looks too messy (right now our birch tree next to the patio is starting to drop some leaves), etc... And the biggest one - picking up after the pets. Our yard is not big so while the pets don't do their business right next to the patio, it still bothers me if there's anything needing to be picked up.
I'm fortunate to live in an area with beautiful weather and it's a shame I don't eat out there as much as I could.
How about you guys? What would make your meals feel more mindful and enjoyable?
Someone to clean up after me in the kitchen would make me swoon.
I did Jon Kabat-Zinn's raisin eating exercise a long time ago. That was probably enough for me.
If you eat outside, can you make a beautiful tray to take outside and enjoy the preparation as well as the meal?
Raisin eating? I got to google that one!
iris lilies
9-23-16, 10:51pm
This is a smart challange. i should join! I'll be reading these posts.
Hi razz - I agree that mindful eating is about how we eat, not what we eat. The simplest, most humble, meal savored and enjoyed mindfully will feel indulgent and luxurious.
Unfortunately I have not made any changes to my own eating rituals. Not really sure what to do actually. What does one do when eating alone to make it feel less lonely? I like razz's idea of creating a pretty table for oneself but haven't done it. I used to read while I ate but I think that's also a type of distraction. The only thing I can think of is eating outside because that makes me feel peaceful and mindful. I guess I can start with that although it's so easy to just plop on the couch! :|(
Thinking about it, eating outside might add to the mindfulness of it because there are certain things I'll need to do as part of the eating ritual. These are the same things that make it easier to eat inside on the couch while watching tv: brush off the patio table and chair if there's tree debris, do a quick sweep if the area looks too messy (right now our birch tree next to the patio is starting to drop some leaves), etc... And the biggest one - picking up after the pets. Our yard is not big so while the pets don't do their business right next to the patio, it still bothers me if there's anything needing to be picked up.
I'm fortunate to live in an area with beautiful weather and it's a shame I don't eat out there as much as I could.
How about you guys? What would make your meals feel more mindful and enjoyable?
I LOVE eating outside, which is why I get a little sad when I see days like today that are cool and crisp and harbingers of colder, bleaker days to come. We have a square wooden table that we have spend hour and hours and hours at over the years, and we eat at it often
I've spoken of my summers living at my great-aunt's beach house in CT. She was person who came of age in Victoria's reign, and she had that sensibility with everything she did. Our meals, even though we were in a summer beach environment, were anything but mindless.
Our breakfasts were the same every single day. Table fully set with her Victorian china. A plate for the toast. A bowl for the cereal. A little ramekin for the soft boiled egg. Another shallow bowl for the prunes. A teacup and a juice glass. It was like Downton Abbey meets Anne of Green Gables.
I loved the breakfasts but I hated the cleanup. The whole breakfast experience took two hours every day from prep to finishing up the dishes with my grandmother.
Two hour break and then we started over again, because we always did lunch as the main meal of the day. So it would be a hot meal--beef or chicken with vegetables. Once in a while we went out for lunch. I'll never get skin cancer because I never got to the beach to hang out with my friends until after 2pm! Before 2pm we did nothing but prepare to eat, eat, clean up after eating and shop to eat. But it was truly a very mindful, civilized experience.
My point being, many mornings we would set the card table up on the front porch which, from our vantage point on a little hill across the street from the beach, offered a beautiful view of Long Island Sound, and the breezes always swept up that slope and we were never hot up there. My aunt would put one of her floral linen tablecloths on the card table and serve blueberries in heavy cream sprinkled with sugar in a little dainty bowl.
I have always wished I could be that kind of grandparent, but I don't know if I could.
The one mindful thing I do is to eat fewer meals--maybe two, or one and a snack. And I try to make them count, nutritionally.
I've had a lifelong habit of reading while I eat, and that's not likely to change.
Two hour break and then we started over again, because we always did lunch as the main meal of the day. So it would be a hot meal--beef or chicken with vegetables. Once in a while we went out for lunch. I'll never get skin cancer because I never got to the beach to hang out with my friends until after 2pm! Before 2pm we did nothing but prepare to eat, eat, clean up after eating and shop to eat. But it was truly a very mindful, civilized experience.
My point being, many mornings we would set the card table up on the front porch which, from our vantage point on a little hill across the street from the beach, offered a beautiful view of Long Island Sound, and the breezes always swept up that slope and we were never hot up there. My aunt would put one of her floral linen tablecloths on the card table and serve blueberries in heavy cream sprinkled with sugar in a little dainty bowl.
Catherine - I think it's interesting and worth pondering that the main eating/cleaning/prepping took place in the early part of the day as opposed to the later part of the day like most people do. Of course, if you work outside the home you don't really have a choice. But I would think that pattern (the more common one of eating heavier meals later in the day) has some effect on weight gain as the big meals are eaten closest to bedtime and in the most sedentary part of the day. You're also the most tired at the end of the day (unless you're a night owl!) and that has to influence your mood and attitude towards the whole endeavor. So if I understand correctly, the later part of the day was light snacking? But eaten in a beautiful way while engaged in a pleasant and relaxing activity? Sounds really nice.
Razz - I do have a nice tray I can use for outdoor use.
I still haven't made any changes so far and I was just about to bring my bowl of soup over here to eat while I stayed on line. But I'm going outside instead. See you guys later! :)
Wow,can I relate...and I need to seriously work on this!
I have taken to eating take out while lying on my bed watching TV or some other mindless version all while I have a bike and an elliptical
languishing in the living room.
This needs to end quickly for a variety of reasons none of which are good.
I'm also a widow,my roommates are the 2 spoiled Kitty's.
Any tips will be greatly appreciated.
OK, I am setting up a mindful challenge for myself. I have really thought about the fact that so much of our food is processed aka foodstuff rather than food. I am going to try and follow the Micheal Pollan approach. I need a bread that has just flour, yeast, sugar, salt and fluid, nothing else.
I am trying the bread recipe from this simple food site that sounds just right for mindful eating:
http://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/simple-whole-wheat-bread/
Will let you know what I discovered this evening.
That bread recipe is wonderful and so easy to do. Highly recommend baking your own bread. I think if I make a loaf a week it should be enough to meet the amount of bread that I eat in that time period.
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