From an article by: Dorothy Foltz-Gray

Often we eat without thinking, gobbling a snack in the car or diving into sweets when we feel stressed.
Practicing mindfulness at mealtimes can break unhealthy eating habits and tune into the pleasures that food has to offer. Try these few steps:

Be grateful for the food you are about to eat.
think about where food comews from, the elements of the earth that created it and the nourishment it offers.

Eat with your senses. Look at the food, its colours and textures. smell the aroma and as you take a bite feel its texture as it moves into your body.

Look behind the craving. When you long for some unhealthy food, sit with the craving for a minute, experience the emotions and feelings you are having. Watch the craving rise, and then just let it go.

Choose acceptance. If you overeat, don't punish yourself by starving the next day. Accept it and move on.

Be flexible. Healthful eating is like the practice of yoga. Each day is different. Allow yourself to eat what norishes you each day rather than sticking to a rigid routine.



Enjoy your meals. Make eating pleasurable. Make your food attractive when seving it, no matter how simple the dish is.



I borrowed this picture from one of our older posts, I hope nobody minds; it just shows how a simple drink of water can be made beautiful.

Dear yoko,

Thank you for this post. I am very often guilty of eating my lunch fast, without even knowing or thinking about what I am eating. I will give my meal a conscious thought from now on.

I do try to eat healthy dinners and serve them as presentable as possible.



Please go ahead and use any of our old images; there are many nice pictures stored away in the old posts and it is nice to bring them out again.

Love, Inda

Thank you yoko.
We should always remember to be grateful for the food that we eat, because so many people have no food.
We should enjoy what we eat and make time for it.

Love,
Vicky

Thank you for the post yoko.

I also am guilty of running around with my sandwich at lunchtime, doing all sorts of things, not even knowing that I am eating.

I will remember to take time out, even if it is 10 minutes, to enjoy and think of what I am eating, and how fortunate I am to have good food.

Love,
Sue

Thank you for the reminder yoko.

I do tend to take time out and enjoy my meals, but then I am not on a fixed work schedule. This makes it a little less difficult. But I agree, whatever our schedule, we should take out some time to enjoy and think about the food that we are eating.

Sincerely,
Gisele

quote:

Originally posted by dear Sue 1:

I also am guilty of running around with my sandwich at lunchtime, doing all sorts of things, not even knowing that I am eating.

I know whacha mean Sue, I used to ONLY be able to eat, while driving on the freeway, between consulting jobs!

The worse was when I had to open and look at a map, while driving, with food and drink in my lap all at the same time. Some relaxing eating environment!


I do better now, most of the time. I know you have wonderful meals at home Sue.. and a nice environment!

Embarassingly, I'm saying this while munching popcorn... but I'm relaxed and in a good mood while munching!

Funny, dear Yoko, your title... isn't that a Macdonalds product?

Great topic, great FOOD FOR THOUGHT! or... thought for food? he he..

Love and (eat) light, Teo

Good morning Teo.

This morning, while I was in a rush I just left my lunch bag on the staircase. When I came to pick it up, my fat cat Frac was lying on it with all his weight.

So at lunchtime I will open my eyes very wide to enjoy the flat shape of my sandwich. Goodness knows what this has done to the texture.

Sue

Thank you everyone for your replies and images.

You must have had a very interesting lunch Sue; the cat really put some thought and the sense of smell into it.



Enjoy your meals everyone, and take a bit of time while you eat.

Love,
yoko

Dear Yoko and all, this is a fantastic topic.
It is a sign of modern times, that we all rush through the day and through lunchtime ...

At least I can say in my favor:

I have breakfast with a candle lit on the table. And I enjoy the silence in the morning. I like to eat and drink what gives me pleasure, but of course I can't overdue it ... as I love butter on the toast with marmelade and milk-coffee. I have now reduced butter to once a week ... on Sunday! But I left out today, because when I weighed myself I had a shock!!
During the week I go to the canteen and our Chef is really high quality. Whenever someone new comes, they find they have never eaten that well in any other canteen. We have great choice and can combine and choose what we want. The standard menu has all the calories indicated too. They even suggest a diet-menu low calory. But we rush through it, not taking the time to enjoy the meal.
At home in the evening I am lucky, as my husband always cooks nice meals (but I eat too much). I reproach him for the quantity. It is not easy to say no when you like it.
Anyway I will come back to this thread. It is extremely IMPORTANT!!

love and hugs
Margherita

Thank you Margherita for your reply.
Enjoy the meals that your husband cooks for you, and don't feel guilty. It is a treasure to have a chef in the house.

Having breakfast with candlelight is wonderful. I can only do this on weekends, and actually I do have candles on the dinner table, but unfortunately I am the chef.

Enjoy your meals everyone, even if you can only take out a little bit of time.

Love, Inda
***********



Dear Margherita,

Don't feel guilty about rating your food, I enjoy something like this almost every weekend...hahaha

Thank you for sharing your beautiful meals with us.
Your breakfasts sound magical and enjoy your husband's meals, no matter what.

Love,
Vicky

Thank you Margherita for sharing your beautiful dinner table and thank you everyone for adding beauty to the meals.



Claude Monet


Love,
yoko

quote:

Look behind the craving. When you long for some unhealthy food, sit with the craving for a minute, experience the emotions and feelings you are having. Watch the craving rise, and then just let it go.

One sentence at the time, I will concentrate again on your shared wisdom, dear Yoko.

I thought it would be an idea indeed to "overcome" the craving and do something rewarding instead, like perhaps writing a little poem ... I might think of a senryu ...

When craving for food
not needed for wellbeing
changing thoughts is good!

Here we go!

Oh, I do love all the pictures you posted. Let me see what I can find ..

Spring or Easter table decoration ... lovely, isn't it?



And something sweet:

Dear Margherita,

Thank you for the lovely little poem and the beautiful images.
Thank you yoko for the wise suggestions, I will try to follow them as well.

Here is another little bunch of flowers for our dinner table. And Easter will be here soon.

Love,
Vicky

This has become a happy and beautiful thread.
Let us keep adding beauty to our meals.

Love, Inda
**********

And then sometimes I cannot resist this:
______________________________________________

Choose acceptance. If you overeat, don't punish yourself by starving the next day. Accept it and move on.
____________________________________________________

Thank you Margherita for the beautiful Easter table setting, it reqally reminds me of spring.

Thank you Vicky and Inda for your nice images and replies.



Let us finish off with a leisurely snack in the garden.

Love,
yoko