Throughout human history, food has been at the core of cultures around the world and has been used to commemorate happy events, console us during unhappy ones, and allow us to not only survive but also to thrive.
Today, the way we tend to relate to our food is a lot different from how it has historically been, in all sorts of different ways. For one thing, we now frequently eat processed foods that we have had no active part in creating, and which we treat in a very mindless and disconnected manner.
Here are just a few tips for cultivating a more mindful relationship with your food, which can help you to not only appreciate your meals more but to have a richer and more rewarding life, as well.
Become a connoisseur – or at least develop your appreciation of flavor and quality
There’s a lot of difference between buying the cheapest instant coffee you can at the supermarket and using a Jura e8 coffee machine to turn some artisanal beans into your morning espresso.
Easily one of the best ways to cultivate a deeper and more mindful connection to your food is to become a connoisseur – or, at least to develop your appreciation of flavor and quality and take food seriously on those terms.
If you treat each meal as a complete experience and not just as a way of getting some fuel in your system, you will naturally come to appreciate your food a lot more.
Have your meals at set times, and have some ritual of appreciation in place before eating
Perhaps the very definition of mindless eating is grazing on snacks throughout the day while doing other things, and while barely being aware of the fact that you are eating at all.
In order to establish a more mindful and meaningful connection with our food, going with the traditional path of having meals at set times is likely to be a much better option, as it makes eating into an occasion, and not just something that we do without paying attention.
In addition to having set mealtimes, it can be extremely powerful to have some ritual of appreciation in place before eating – whether that means saying grace in a religious context, or just taking a moment to recognize how lucky you are to be able to enjoy such a meal.
Explore the wide and wonderful world of cooking, directly
When you get into home cooking, and taking it seriously as an art to be mastered, you will naturally develop a more mindful relationship with your food, as you will be involved in the process of creating and providing.
A lot of “mindless eating” is driven by the fact that we are so often detached from the source of our foods in today’s world. Getting actively involved in cooking changes the game.
