Mindful Meals

Have you even been arrived at your destination and upon arrival realized you can't remember the drive? You can literally get so engrossed in your repetitive thoughts that you aren't fully aware of what is happening right in front of you. You can simply go into auto-pilot mode and mentally check out. This isn't isolated to your daily work commute. We tend to check-out during many of our daily activities, especially during meal time! Being present when you are eating offers many benefits. Let's break them down:

1. More Enjoyment
   You can enjoy your food more when you are present and paying attention. The pleasure associated with eating is right up there with loving and sleeping. Don't deprive yourself of that natural pleasure! Next time you are eating a meal, close that laptop and enjoy every single taste bud stimulation available to you! 
   
   
2. Improved Nutrient Absorption
   When you aren't paying attention, you are more likely to just barely chew up your food, swallowing chunks of unchewed morsels. Remember that chewing is actually part of the digestion process. Your saliva contains some digestive enzymes, even if it isn't as much as your stomach and intestines produce. Another thing to consider though is that the chewing crushes the cell walls. So what, you ask? Well, many of the beneficial compounds of plants aren't realized unless you crush the cell wall.  For example, the super strong anti-cancer fighting  properties of cruciferous vegetables are only activated when the cell wall is crushed. That's right! Those isothiocyanates (ITCs)  aren't released until the cell wall is crushed. Additionally, crushing the cell walls of cells in onion and garlic results in anti-cancer benefits! Lastly, the more you break down your food and chew it up, the more breakdown can occur inside the stomach, allowing for maximum nutrient absorption in the small intestine. If you are eating those healthy veggies, you may as well chew them up well to maximize their effectiveness!
   
   
3. Avoid Overeating
   Lastly, being present during your meal helps you actually notice when you are satiated. When you are mentally checked-in, you tend to eat slower, which allows you to better receive those signals of satiation. If you are looking at your facebook feed, watching television AND eating dinner, it is much more likely you will eat so fast and fail to notice that your body has reached satiation. There are several factors associated with feeling satiated (calories, nutrient density, and food addiction to name a few).  Staying present and taking your time offers an environment which allows your stomach and your mind to communicate effectively when you have met your intake needs to alleviate hunger.  This means you will be less likely to eat more than your body requires.

So hopefully I've sold you on the concept of a mindful meal. It would also be my hope that your implementation of mindfulness can expand to other facets of your life. While it can improve your mealtime, that isn't where the benefits end. If you can be more mindful and present in the following situations, it is likely you would also benefit:

• working
• dating
• interacting with kids, friends, and basically all humans
• bathing 
• relaxing
• driving
• cleaning
• okay - I'll stop here because basically mindfulness can improve EVERY aspect of your life. 

Remember, this moment matters. Even if you are not doing anything that is super exciting or fun right now,  hopefully you can accept the moment, and maybe even enjoy it. Be here now.

Sincerely,
Monica
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