Indholdsfortegnelse for Mindful Foods i Mindful Foods

Mindful eating is an extension of the sacred practice of mindfulness. It is about paying attention to the food you are eating, moment to moment, with curiosity and non-judgement. It is an approach to eating that focuses on your experience of the food by using your senses and self-awareness. Mindful eating encourages you to take your time with meals by being conscious about how you eat and what you eat, as well as contemplating how what you eat nourishes you. The intention of mindful eating is to help you savour the present moment — and the food involved with it — and encourage your full presence for the whole experience of eating. Vietnamese monk Thích Nhat Hanh explains that “mindful eating means simply eating or drinking while being aware of…

Mindful eating has the ability to transform our relationship with food in myriad ways. The practice allows us to focus on how and why we eat, and when we do this with curiosity, compassion and non-judgement, we can develop a greater sense of awareness about our food choices and feel empowered to make positive change (if required). Being mindful of how and why we eat allows us to gain more insight around what we eat. This allows us to understand what foods nourish us and foster a deeper appreciation of every ingredient, mouthful and meal. We invite you to reflect on how you relate to food. Rather than contemplating whether you have a “good” or “bad” relationship with food, instead, we invite you to get curious about the level to…

When we practise mindfulness and connecting with our intuition in everyday life, it makes being mindful and intuitive more accessible with food. Here, we share some tangible and practical ways to be mindful and intuitive in your day-to-day life, and explore how these notions naturally lend themselves to food. Identifying and embodying your values “We get to express our values through food.”~ Oprah Having a clear understanding of what you value and then living by those values is a powerful way to enhance your relationship with food. As author, journalist and food expert Michael Pollan shares in an interview with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday, “What we choose to eat and what we choose not to eat is one of the ways we get to embody what we care about.”…

My daily coffee ritual is one of my most treasured mindfulness practices. Each morning, I carve out time to make and enjoy a cup of freshly ground, home-brewed coffee. From the intoxicating scent emanating from the hand grinder to the coffee dripping gently from the filter into the ceramic cup, each moment of the preparation is worth cherishing. And then, when I drink the coffee, I experience something equally as joyous through my senses — warmth cocooned within my hands, on my lips and through my body, an enchanting sight of steam radiating from the cup, a mesmerising taste in my mouth from the very first sip. My coffee ritual is a time for presence, contemplation, stillness and ease, and it sets the tone for the rest of my day.…

A complementary practice to mindful eating, intuitive eating is an approach to eating that explores the role your intuition plays in how, what and why you eat. It is a method of eating that encourages a nourishing relationship with food by focusing on how to recognise and honour hunger and fullness cues. Given that mindfulness is a skill that underpins intuitive eating, eating intuitively also involves contemplating how food makes you feel, as well as how your feelings influence what you eat. Intuitive eating encourages you to trust your choices when it comes to food and to listen to what your body is telling you. It is a practice that is designed to empower you to tune in, listen to and trust your body. This approach to food is about…

“Being calm in the kitchen is perhaps one of the most important yet underrated competencies of a cook.” An interview with mindful and intuitive eating chef Jenny Lomas What does being calm in the kitchen mean to you? Being calm in the kitchen is perhaps one of the most important yet underrated competencies of a cook. Having a calm state of mind means being present, not distracted. Being calm means we can prepare our meals efficiently and to the best of our capabilities, and respond skilfully when our plan for dinner gets derailed by some missing ingredient or by our mistaking sugar for salt. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean slowing down our movements and tip-toeing around — after all, people are hungry and we need to use our energy to…

Vietnamese monk Thích Nhat Hanh once said that “you must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea”. If we contemplate this adage in the context of food, then the suggestion is that we must be mindful if we want to truly enjoy eating. Here, we share some simple, accessible and practical ways to practise eating mindfully. We invite you to try out the things that resonate with you and let go of the things that don’t. Your mindful eating journey is individual to you. Research has shown that the more you practise being mindful, the more mindful you become, which means that mindful eating will become more second nature with consistent practice. Elements of mindful eating, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health •…

Why are mindful and intuitive eating so important? Because they are unique yet simple approaches to eating that help you feel at ease with food as well as comfortable and empowered in your own skin. It goes the other way, too. Feeling calm and grounded are states that naturally lend themselves to cultivating mindfulness and tuning into your intuition. You may also notice that when you feel calm, at ease and grounded, you feel more connected with your intuition and thus it is easier to tune in and listen to it. It is also easier to slow down and be present when you are feeling relaxed. Being mindful and intuitive with food is an opportunity to practise being present and listening to your body. In this state of being, you…

“Intuitive eating is a practice that invites us to listen to and connect with the wisdom of our bodies, rather than minds, as a guide for eating.” Interview with mindful and intuitive eating expert Kaitlin McManus What does being mindful with food mean to you? To me, being mindful with food means setting the intention to pay attention to my encounters with food. This may be during the preparing or cooking process as well as with the experience of drinking and eating. I don’t want to just eat my food; I want to truly taste it. I try to connect with my senses to support my mindful eating practice — especially sight, smell, touch and taste. I also try to practise acceptance and non-judgement when I have different reactions to…

Intuitive eating is a way of being — a lifestyle — which means that it will be unique to you. It will, however, involve these following qualities: • Being mindful of food habits — noticing your habits towards food with curiosity, non-judgement and self-compassion.• Contemplating why you eat — reflecting on whether you are eating due to a physical or emotional need. We have different forms of hunger (ie, physical, mental, emotional, energetic). • Listening to and honouring hunger and fullness — eating when you are hungry, not restricting food and stopping when you are full.• Eschewing food labels for neutrality — resisting any temptation to label food as “good” or “bad” and instead approaching all food with neutrality (ie, an apple is a fruit, a muesli bar is a…

How does journalling support a mindful eating practice? • It helps you understand and move through your emotions. By writing down your emotions, you become aware of them and allow the intensity of the feelings to defuse. This may reduce your urges to turn to food for emotional needs.• It creates a pause that enables you to stop, cultivate awareness and reflect on your experience.• It allows you to gain clarity of your thoughts by contemplating what you have written down. Mindful eating contemplations We invite you to reflect on these questions when you finish eating a meal: How did my meal smell before I began eating? What colours of food did I notice on my plate? How did the texture or temperature of the food feel in my mouth…