Whenever we sit down to eat, we’re always in different states of mind. Sometimes we’re chomping through a sandwich to get to a meeting on time, at others we’re sipping leisurely on wine and letting our forks linger over exquisitely plated dishes of food as we catch up with friends. When we are hungry, we eat quickly in huge mouthfuls, barely savouring our food. On the other hand, we may be eating slowly, but if there’s something on our mind distracting us from our meal, we are not present in the process of eating.
With each scenario, we have a different sense of our food with varying levels of enjoyment. What happens in such cases is we end up feeling a want for more—more snacks, more dessert, more…something. I’ve experienced that one too many times, it’s like I didn’t register having a meal at all! Where were my five senses? That’s when I start craving snacks, and look around the hawker centre (or my kitchen cupboard) for other foods to eat, to fill that void.
Over time, this may become a habit, and a start of mindless eating behaviours (the opposite of mindful eating, which you can find out more about here). One of the ways to be mindful of what you eat is to be present during the eating process, and there’s no better way than to engage all of your five senses once food is placed before you.
Edna
12 Dec 2019Wow, this piece of writing is good, my sister is analyzing these kinds of things, therefore
I am going to convey her.
Yan Yin
23 Feb 2020Thanks! Do share!