Part of my health and wellness journey has certainly involved healthier eating habits – most of the time. Admittedly, I’ve had days and weeks where I was anything but consistent with my approach to food. This truth is even more pronounced when I engaged in deep reflections on mindful eating.
The Connection Between Mindfulness and Food
There are many definitions of mindfulness, but it generally emphasizes the fusion of thoughts, emotions and physical sensations in a specific moment. When pairing this concept with food, ideally the food or beverage is to be my singular focus. From the sight to the smells to bubbling sounds, if any.
Essentially, there should be an intimacy with my food to where I can savor each bite, ponder on the ingredient’s origins and how it was prepped. Perhaps it was made by my own hand, which is preferable. But this connection between mindfulness and food can go even deeper. It can also involve thinking about when it is that I eat and why choose to consume certain foods and drinks.
Mindful Eating Reality
I can attest to experiencing aspects of mindful eating during my journey. For instance, my health journey involved ending my co-dependency on certain unhealthy foods, which I believe contributed to my sustained weight loss. Still, when I think about all that mindful eating might imply, I’m definitely just scratching the surface with what’s possible.
Like for most people, daily responsibilities can make it almost impossible to have meditation-like encounters with my food where I take indefinite time to savor each bite. At times, I’ve tried to eat slower and think about the farm (or factory) to table process for what I was eating, but then my mind quickly raced to something else. I guess for me part of the challenge is to see the concept of mindful eating as more than activity for those privileged with the time to analyze their food choices from countless angles.
This isn’t to say that mindful eating is a waste of time or unrealistic. I’m just admitting that for me, it’s a process that would require years of deliberate practice before I could feel some level of productivity. Yes, I can (and do) appreciate small victories, but my reflections on mindful eating compel me to see this as a truly lifelong process.