Enjoy the Act of Eating

The act of eating should be enjoyed.

Sit at a table. Or at least sit down, and try not to do anything else. Just slowly enjoy each bite. Talk casually with your friends and family.

Okay, read the paper. Maybe, MAYBE, watch TV. But, don't play your GameBoy or check your email.

This advice is based on one of the weekly tips I received from RealAge.com.


According to the RealAge.com tip of the day for March 20:

Normally, if you eat the same food for a period of time, your palate gets "tired." You feel full sooner and don't want as much. This is known as sensory-specific satiety. But get distracted -- by reading the latest celebrity gossip, catching up on e-mail, or playing computer games -- and this appetite-control mechanism gets turned off.

Chew slowly and savor the taste. Savor the moment. By paying attention to the act of eating we are attentive to ourselves and our own needs. When we are attentive to he fact that we are eating, we feel full and probably keep feeling full.

Enjoy the act of eating at reduce your chances for over-eating or compulsive eating! Savor eating and enjoy something so simple it is easily lost. Eating has become something you do while you do something else.

Binge eating is more common than anorexia or bulimia, as published in published in Biological Psychiatry and recently addressed on MSNBC. But why do we binge eat? Part of it could be because we are not even aware that we are eating, doing too many things at once.

Far too often, I see people walking and eating. I think the issue started to get to me when I went to little league games and saw kids eating pizza while walking. At first, I thought they might trip. But if kids are doing it, where did they learn it? Parents, other adults. I started to think of all the times I ate Cliff bars or sandwiches while driving, how is that for a safety issue?

How many things can we pay attention to at one time. I would like to think that my body feels more full when I sit down and enjoy eating my meal because I am giving my body the focus and energy it needs to process food.

Enjoy the act of eating. Savor the flavor and cultivate joy in a simple pleasure.