What Do I Really Eat?

Nowadays it is very common to eat and live unconsciously. We are living in a world that have high-speed internet, smart mobile phones, hard and long working hours. We constantly have to respond to external demands rapidly, and we have minimum time to focus and think about our self-being. If we are not aware of what we eat, how can we enjoy it? During the day, we are usually having snacks while we are doing something else. Maybe we can do many tasks at the same time, but our digestive system does not work like that. Unfortunately, when we do not focus on our meals, our brain cannot send true signals to our digestive system. Either we realize too late that we are full, or the food can not be digested properly, hence it's not beneficial for our body. So don't have your meals while dealing with something. Sit calmly at the table and just focus on eating. Be aware of the food in front of you. Eat at a table in a relaxed atmosphere. Avoid yourself from places that are crowded. If you are feeling excited, sad, or angry, do not eat, wait till you calm yourself down. During such emotions, a hormone called adrenaline is secreted and when the adrenaline hormone rises in the body, the digestion system gets paralysed. So before we begin eating, we should be calm and focus on eating only.

So how do we increase our awareness?

For example when you eat an apple, concentrate on eating apples only. Do not think of anything else and most importantly, do not get involved in other things. Do not eat while driving, walking, reading a book or watching TV. Focus on the apple and fully enjoy all the feelings that apple can offer. It helps us to fell its taste, smell, and its freshness. Before eating the apple, hold it and feel it between your fingers and take the moment. Breathe out consciously several times which will help you to focus. We rarely look at it while we are eating. We bite the apple as soon as we grab it, quickly chew it and swallow it. Pause for a second and think: What kind of apple is this? What color is this? How do you feel when you hold it? What does the smell feel like? As these thoughts pass through your mind, you will begin to realize that an apple is not just a quick snack.