Published on February 8th, 2012 | by James Johnson
0Mindful Eating: Because Meditation Is Good For The Soul And Apparently The Stomach
While most people don’t have the patience these days to chew each bite of food 20 times, let alone 10 tens before swallowing, a new dietary practice known as “mindful eating” has emerged and the patience required in 10 fold. Imagine for a moment eating just three raisins in thirty minutes.
The practice came about at Buddhist monasteries and essentially involves meditation with food. After health officials jumped on the band wagon companies even took to the practice with Google now offering one mindful lunch hour per month.
It’s not just about eating a very small amount of food over a short period of time, for example you can eat a cheeseburger as long as you thoroughly chew each bite, be mindful of its flavors and enjoy the time spent between each bite.
According to one pediatrician who spoke with the New York Times:
“I think the fundamental problem is that we go unconscious when we eat,” and mindful eating addresses that problem.
Another doctor adds that the practice gets us to the point where we are thinking:
“Does my body need this? Why am I eating this? Is it just because I’m so sad and stressed out?'”
Mindful eating is still rather new so finding someone to teach you the practice properly typically means finding a location that practices the method such as Blue Cliff Monastery in New York’s Hudson Valley which offers “mindful meal” times to anyone interested. You can also pick up a handful of books regarding the subject which have been published in the last several years.