Sit Down to Eat

Have you ever ordered the large popcorn at a movie and scoffed, “This is so much popcorn! I will never be able to eat all this.” Then found yourself fifteen minutes into the movie with most of it gone?

Maybe you’ve eaten an entire bag of chips while driving and not remembered doing it?

Has anyone ever asked you, “What did you eat for lunch?” and you were unable to answer because your mind drew a blank?

Have you ever tried to eat something with a fork … while walking?

I have done all of these things. My guess is you have done at least one.

There are all these issues surrounding food. Is it good for me? Will it lower/raise my cholesterol? Do I eat carbs or not? Is low fat or no fat better? We seem so preoccupied with food. We give it so much attention. We pay extra for the organic kind and make sure our chicken is free range. We are meticulous about asking for the dressing on the side and to forget the croutons.

I am so adamant about not eating high fructose corn syrup at breakfast that I will go out of my way to buy special “healthy” yogurts and organic (nothing bad for you, only filled with flax and God-knows-what-else seeds) granola bars. I then proceed to eat them in five minutes flat while walking to work. I use the granola bar as a spoon. I am obviously not enjoying my overpriced yogurt. How could I? There is no way to properly enjoy a meal while walking. Even a power/fitness so-called health bar. Those bars and on-the-go fitness foods were invented for people who are working out so much that they need more fuel in order to continue exercising. They are not made for me to eat for breakfast because I can’t find five minutes to pay attention to my food.

I apologize if you find the taste of a Luna bar intoxicating. If you are that person then by all means go ahead, slowly tear the foil off your dried yogurt covered bar and ravenously devour the bits of non-fattening nougat and lemon. Just make sure you pay attention while you’re doing it. Enjoy your food. If you find that the breakfast bar isn’t as satisfying when you pay attention to it then you should probably eat something else. And I don’t mean that if you end up not enjoying your breakfast you should high-tail it to the nearest I-Hop for whip cream waffles. Do not use this week’s wellness update as an excuse to order chocolate cake every night.

“But Sarah, you told me to enjoy my food.”

If you eat a pound of cheesecake for breakfast, you will suffer the consequences.

What I am suggesting is that you sit down and pay attention to your food. I do not want you to become any more neurotic than I already am about what you eat. I am saying eat what you would normally eat, but do it well. Taste it. Chew it. Enjoy the act of eating. If you pay attention to your food while you eat it as opposed to before you eat it, you will probably eat less. And yet you will feel more satisfied because you were present in the act.

Bon Appetit!

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you Live