Mindful Eating: A Great Article

Another journey I would like to embark on is mindful eating. Or, perhaps I should say reembark. I have bought books on the topic, and have made small changes by turning off the TV when I eat, eating smaller portions, and being more conscious of when I'm full (well most of the time, anyway). But I have a long way to go, and I feel that having mindful meals will be better for my peace of mind, my health, and even my waistline. I have also realized that mindful eating is also like mindfulness itself; accompanied by mindful cooking and mindful grocery shopping, it does not stand alone.

This article has a clever title, "Buddhists say you aren't what you eat, but how" which I think really sums it up. What is interesting is that in helping people eat mindfully, Buddhist principles of mindfulness present multiple options; i.e. followed with a secular, cognitive therapy approach rather for than spiritual practice, yet the latter can be involved if desired.

What's more is that the practice of mindful eating, and mindfulness in general, is by no means restricted to Buddhism. In the performance of the Eucharist, mindfulness is a fundamental component. Here is a really neat article on the Eucharist; from which I obtained the following quote:  

"When a priest performs the Eucharistic rite, his role is to bring life to the community. The miracle happens not because he says the words correctly, but because we eat and drink in mindfulness. Holy Communion is a strong bell of mindfulness. We drink and eat all the time, but we usually ingest only our ideas, projects, worries, and anxiety. We do not really eat our bread or drink our beverage. If we allow ourselves to touch our bread deeply, we become reborn, because our bread is life itself. Eating it deeply, we touch the sun, the clouds, the earth, and everything in the cosmos. We touch life, and we touch the Kingdom of God"

I hope this post has been helpful in at least a simple way as an introduction (or continued education) about mindfulness and mindful eating. In the near future I hope to purchase Jan Chozen Bays' book, Mindful Eating, and continue reading Susan Albers' books and articles. So in the words of Albers' book title, Eat, Drink, and Be Mindful!!