Written by Zhuoya Zhang
“The purpose of eating is to eat.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh
When I was a child, my mom brought me a popsicle when she returned from the supermarket in the summer. I always took my time to eat it. I remembered eating it in the sun in our backyard, feeling the orange-flavored ice melting with the cream inside my mouth. I was so happy. I was just there with the popsicle, looking at the sky, the grass, and the flowers around me. Sometimes, the ice melted too fast, dripping to the ground, and I shared a bit of the popsicle with the ants on the ground. I could be there with my popsicle because I had no worries and was carefree. I had nothing to plan about. I was just there, simply enjoying my popsicle and the summer weather.
It is still possible to eat meals so peacefully and joyfully, just like how I savored my popsicle as a child. You may have the impression that you have lost that popsicle, that cookie, that chocolate of your childhood. But it is always there in your heart. I also used to think that taking the time to eat mindfully felt like a luxury. Later, I learned that it is counterproductive to eat mindlessly. When I pause and eat mindfully, I relax and enjoy my food more. I feel more nourished afterward. Now, I see mindful eating as self-care. We all deserve a break like this to pause and savor our food.
Mindful eating is an important mindfulness practice. But it is simple.
- We sit at the table with our food. We put away our phones and close our laptops and books. If we are with other people, we wait for them to be seated and have their food.
- We take a few deep breaths. We may even silently repeat a mantra while breathing, “breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.”
- We can also look at our food and how colorful and nutritious it is. We may feel gratitude coming from our hearts, appreciating the care and effort it takes to have this meal on this table.
- We can look at the people we are sharing this meal and this moment and smile at each other. Wishing them to enjoy their meal.
- Once we start eating, we can bring that attentiveness to the food: the taste, the temperature, the texture, and the movement of our mouths and hands.
- There is no need to eat the whole meal this way. Just a few bites of eating with mindfulness would already make the entire experience more enjoyable.
I also found these books helpful when learning about mindful eating and mindful living
- How to Eat (plumvillage.org/book/how-to-eat)
- Savor (plumvillage.org/books/savor)
- Peace Is Every Step (parallex.org/product/peace-is-every-step/)
I learned from experience that how tasty the food is directly linked to how mindful I am eating it. Please give it a try 🙂 Bon appetite!
Author Bio: Zhuoya is a third-year PhD student in the Quantitative Biomedical Sciences program. She researches how mindfulness impacts college students’ well-being. Zhuoya is also a lay practitioner of mindfulness who practices in the Plum Village Tradition established by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. Zhuoya loves grabbing mindful meals or coffee alone or with friends. If you’d like to join her, please email her at zhuoya.zhang.gr@dartmouth.edu