The BASICS of Mindful Eating

How often do you sit down to eat with no screens and when you’re not on the move? Lynn Rossy shares how slowing down and paying attention to our meals can help us know what our body needs and when.

Javier Pardina/Stocksy

I often teach what I need to learn and, boy, is this lesson a big one for me. I move fast, talk fast, think fast, and drive fast. The faster I move, the more lost in thought I tend to be and the harder it is to fully experience the present moment. One morning I was so caught up in the acceleration of life that, while combing my clean, wet hair, I thought, Have I taken a shower yet this morning? I had been completely absorbed in my “to-do” list for the day.

This accelerated pace also prevents me from knowing that I ate, how much I ate, and whether I even liked what I ate. How many times have you stopped after being lost in thought and found the potato chip bag empty without even realizing that you ate them all?

To live fully in the present moment and wake up to our senses requires that we put on the brakes a little. You can’t experience the ride when the landscape is whizzing by and you’re missing the essential information you need to create the life you want. Slowing down helps you notice how you…