Several friends I know will quickly pronounce the warning “oh no …woo-woo stuff” when words like spiritual, mediation, or ‘mindfulness’ pop up. Interestingly, it isn’t that they don’t share some of the beliefs; and partly, they’re joking. Still, I think they simply don’t want to ‘get into it all’ (an explanation I’ve heard) or to be “preached at.”
My plan here? Just a little preaching – even if I know it’s a bit hypocritical based on some of my own behavior. The subject? Mindfulness at mealtime.
Habits Typical to Many of Us
A few months back, I posted: Chomp, Chomp, Chomp: Surprising Science for Choicest Chewing about why chewing (and eating slowly) is so important for us. At the time I was writing that, a lot of related reading and research surfaced about being mindful (paying attention) when we eat.
Chewing slowly is easier for me than actual mindfulness at meals. At breakfast, I’m a good role-model, lunch is questionable and variable, but dinner finds me in front of the TV. Worse is that I am generally watching the PBS Newshour (streamed later than its normal time) and barking disturbing comments either under my breath or loudly at the commentators. All that said, there is no reason I can’t strive for moderate improvement.
Why Strive for Meal Mindfulness
Evolutionary ancestors rarely had an abundance of food; their struggles were different than ours. While some among us still fight against food insecurity or to escape from food deserts, most people reading a blog such as this grapple more with handling too much food. As such, our plan to handle excess and adapt to modern-day body stresses need to be revamped. Minor changes may be better than ‘just a start.’
The autonomic nervous system consists of two parts – sympathetic and parasympathetic. [uh oh, science class revisited.] The sympathetic, controlling fight or flight, was probably more active for those evolutionary ancestors mentioned above, although likely less inclusive of the common modern-time addition of the “freeze” response. Parasympathetic handles resting and digesting. Chewing engages that parasympathetic system as we relax, enjoy our food and digestion starts. That part of the nervous system can be stimulated more effectively by longer, thorough chewing and conscious mindfulness when we partake of our food.
Eating on the Run
Eating while stressed, or on the run, interferes with the digestive system — from start to finish. A few years back, the fast-food chain, Subway, conducted a survey with more than 1,000 of their British patrons. Surveyors found that the average Brit chewed just 6 times before swallowing. (Hint: This is bad, 15 times would be a bare minimum for mastication mastery and 40 chews is best.] While some British dieticians agreed there’s strain on digestion, their biggest concern was psychological.
The subway eaters with the worst habits were 25-34 years old and were described as young, busy professionals. Fifteen percent (15%) of them ate while walking and only 50% routinely sat down at a table to eat. There is, of course, no age limit to such poor behavior.
I imagine the U.S. is no better; it might even be worse, but trivial modifications can bring big bonuses (a great ROI). Multiple studies demonstrate that if mindfulness is combined with slow chewing, there is reduction in weight, food cravings, and “emotional eating.” (Why not read that sentence again?)
The Slow Food Movement
Ayurvedic medicine says that sight, smell and taste are a major part of our digestion. A caterer I worked for in my teens said the same.
People eat with their nose and eyes.”
Sarah and Harry Raffel (Tri-city New York caterers in 1960s)
Good tasting food is a blend of taste as well as good looks and smell. Odor receptors at the back of our nasal cavity perceive flavor from molecules released when chewing. Chewing for a longer period of time promotes maximal pleasure – meaning the more attention to time with food, the more pleasure.
The Slow Food Movement encourages “living an unhurried life, taking time to enjoy simple pleasures, starting at the table.” Put another way, this is meal-time mindfulness. Folks who say “grace” at dinner (hopefully someone, somewhere still does) have a head start on attention and mindfulness to their meal. (And the gratitude portion is certainly a beneficial additive.)
Overall Benefits
Experts tells us we are likely to find meals tastier, improve our entire digestion system, feel fuller longer and eat less if we go slow. Between this information and the previous blog, we can see that the formula to reboot our digestive strength is not difficult.
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Simple Formula
1. Chew food optimally (between 20-40 chews/mouthful)
2. Sit, relax and pay attention to your meal
The benefits of chewing are more physiological; and as the British folks indicated, the advantages of attentiveness more psychological.
FINAL THOUGHT
I began explaining that meal relaxation is not my forte. Even so, like many of us semi-stuck in a rut, there’s opportunity for improvement. Trifling adjustments to this behavior take only a slight extra effort; yet surprisingly, the rewards are fairly assured. Mealtime-mindfulness is definitely NOT malarkey.
One little boy begged to differ.
He was hungry and began to eagerly dig into his dinner plate.
Dad gently reminded him that they hadn’t said grace or prays yet.
The boy’s response discounted the benefit of meal mindfulness
when he decreed that
“We don’t have to pray at meals; Mommy is a good cook.”
And nothing says a bit of humor hurts the digestion either. Just smiling in appreciation at the plate in front of you is a useful first step.
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Reference:
Subway survey comments about eating more slowly having effects on gut hormone levels and psychological benefits by Catherine Collins, St George’s Hospital (London), chief dietician.
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Picture credit: 3/7 Marines bond during Thanksgiving by DVIDSHUB is licensed under CC BY 2.0
