Lucid Nutrition

The Principles of Mindful Eating

Mindfulness is:

• Mindfulness is deliberately paying attention, non-judgmentally.

• Mindfulness encompasses both internal processes and external environments.

• Mindfulness is being aware of what is present for you mentally, emotionally and physically in each moment.

• With practice, mindfulness cultivates the possibility of freeing yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and acting.

• Mindfulness promotes balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of what is.

Mindful Eating is:

• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.

• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.

• Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without judgment.

• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

Someone Who Eats Mindfully:

• Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying degrees of awareness       surrounding the experience of food.

• Accepts that his/her eating experiences are unique.

• Is an individual who by choice, directs his/her awareness to all aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis.

• Is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health outcome of that choice.

• Is aware of and reflects on the effects caused by unmindful eating.

• Experiences insight about how he/she can act to achieve specific health goals as he/she becomes more attuned to the direct experience of eating and feelings of health.

• Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and cultural practices and the impact of his/ her food choices has on those systems.

~The Center for Mindful Eating.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Season 2, Episode 1

The Five Food Contemplations

The following is a beautiful description of Mindful Eating as practiced at The Wake Up House Austin:

This orange is an ambassador from the entire cosmos.

Eating a meal mindfully can be a meditative and nourishing practice. As we serve our food we can already begin practicing. Serving ourselves, we realize that many elements, such as the rain, sunshine, earth, air and love, have all come together to form this wonderful meal. In fact, through this food we see that the entire universe is supporting our existence.

We are aware of the whole community as we serve ourselves and we take an amount of food that is good for us. Before eating, the bell will be invited for three sounds and we can enjoy breathing in and out while practicing the five contemplations.

We can take our time as we eat, chewing each mouthful at least 30 times, until the food becomes liquefied. This aids the digestive process. Let us enjoy every morsel of our food and the presence of the brothers and sisters around us. Let us establish ourselves in the present moment, eating in such a way that solidity, joy and peace is possible during the time of eating.

Eating in silence, the food becomes real with our mindfulness and we are fully aware of its nourishment. In order to deepen our practice of mindful eating and support the peaceful atmosphere, we remain seated during this silent period. After twenty minutes of silent eating, two sounds of the bell will be invited. We may then start a mindful conversation with our friend or begin to get up from the table.

Upon finishing our meal, we take a few moments to notice that we have finished, our bowl is now empty and our hunger is satisfied. Gratitude fills us as we realize how fortunate we are to have had this nourishing food to eat, supporting us on the path of love and understanding.

1. This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard work.

2. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.

3. May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.

4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, and preserve our planet.

5. We accept this food so that we may nurture our sisterhood and brotherhood, strengthen our Community, and nourish our ideal of serving living beings.

Can you imagine how your eating habits will change if you were to simply & slowly recite the 5 contemplative eating contemplations before each meal? I invite you to experiment with me.