11 ways to enjoy your food more

Some people call it mindful eating. While it’s a good term, I like to think of it as “getting the most pleasure” from what I’m eating. That makes me feel like I’m getting real pleasure, and taking steps to squeeze out as much pleasure as possible is more motivating than creating rules for myself about what I can and cannot do when I eat.

By far being present while I eat, or mindful eating, is the eating habit I have to work on, especially when I am very busy, stressed, excited, or with other people.

These strategies are simple and subtle. They always help me to remember to focus on my food and enjoy it as much as possible.

Here are 11 ways to enjoy your food more …

1. Chew

Chewing your food about 20 times is a definite way to extract pleasure. This really slows me down. If I’m in a rush, it reminds me not to rush to eat because I’ll miss out on the experience.

Normally a human vacuum cleaner that inhales food, this is a habit that I have to think about and make a game of. However, when chewing, I can notice the favors of the food. I can identify the ingredients. I can feel the texture and the temperature. All of this really makes me feel whole and satisfied … whether I’m indulging in a treat or eating the same breakfast I had for the last 7 days in a row.

Chewing also helps slow down if you’re around other people, so you’re not the first to finish your meal. That way, you won’t be tempted to get more just because everyone else is still eating.

2. Change hands.

Making things harder is a great way to force yourself to pay attention to what you are doing. An easy way to do this is to force yourself to eat with your non-dominant hand. You can start by doing this with smaller meals. It is also good advice to try when you are eating with other people and want to focus on eating so as not to mindlessly eat just because the other person is eating.

3. Eat with chopsticks.

Like changing hands, this makes things a bit more challenging. Also, you can only eat so much in one bite.

When I use chopsticks, I focus more on choosing the bites. As if I were eating a stir fry, I would choose the peppers, then the onions, then the mushrooms, etc. This makes every part enjoyable.

Eating with chopsticks becomes really complicated if you eat a sandwich.

I read a story about a tech company that asked a group of its employees to use chopsticks exclusively for a week as a mindfulness exercise. Although weight loss was not the goal, everyone in the office lost weight and several reported life-changing accomplishments as a result of the project.

4. Lower your fork between each bite.

Putting down your fork between bites is an excellent addition to your chewing habit. The act of putting your fork on the table forces you to focus on chewing your food rather than allowing yourself to mindlessly eat the plate for your next bite. It also encourages you to slow down and pay more attention to the taste of your food, rather than just shoveling it down your throat as quickly as possible.

5. Close your eyes.

Whether it’s just for the first few bites or for the entire meal, close your eyes as you chew. Now you can really focus on the flavors, the ingredients and how they interact, and the texture as it changes. In a world of distraction, closing your eyes gives you control over your experience.

6. Identify each ingredient.

As a professional chef or taste tester, it can be fun to identify each flavor and what you are eating. If it’s strawberry ice cream, can you try strawberries? What about milk or cream? If it’s a marinated steak, can you distinguish the ingredients in the marinade? Is it spicy, spicy or salty?

7. Put your food on a plate.

I am guilty of eating out of the container or bag often when I am alone. Taking out plates seems unnecessary. However, putting food on a plate instead of eating from the bag helps me to be aware of what I am eating and to feel more satisfied with a smaller amount. If I finish my plate, that’s one thing. But if I finish the entire container, it could be double the amount of food.

8. Sit down.

Like eating from the container, I often like to stand up while eating because I am in a hurry or because it seems unnecessary to sit down. Honestly, what is so important in my life that I don’t have time to take 15 minutes to stop and nurture myself? Sitting down tells our mind to focus on the activity instead of thinking about launching into the next one.

9. Make it a great deal.

If you are sitting and eating from a plate, giving yourself the food you want most, why not celebrate? You could die tomorrow and you would have lost the opportunity to enjoy your life to the fullest! Seriously though, if you’re eating, you’re giving your body energy to stay alive. If you didn’t eat, you would eventually lose energy and die. The reason you can be alive and active in your life is to take care of your body … and what a fun way to do it.

Get off the pretty china. Take the fancy fork. Set the table. Light a candle. This is especially important if you are indulging in something you really want.

10. Shut up.

Turn off the television, computer, and other distractions to eat quietly. Like closing your eyes, it helps eliminate distractions. You can hear the voice in your head more easily and can guide you to focus on the flavors in your mouth.

11. Be grateful.

Consider what it took to get the food to eat. Not only the sun and rain fed the vegetables, fruits, grains and animals, but also the work that goes into harvesting, processing, packing, shipping, delivering, storing and offering or serving their food. It’s very important. It is no small thing to bring that amount of food to people around the world every day.

All that effort is for you. It is so that you have the food you want, when you want it. Consider being thankful for how lucky you are to have such affordable food and the means to pay for what you have.

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