Gastronomic Mindfulness

A meal can last a long time in Italy. Barbara Kingslover would no doubt agree that for Italians, eating falls under the Division of Recreation rather than the Routine Maintenance Department. Businesses close for several hours a day in order to allow for an enjoyable mid-day meal and perhaps a nap before reopening for late afternoon commerce.

It’s a civilized practice, this meal savoring-- and its rewards include multiple health, economic, and relational benefits. Here’s a notable statement: Kingsolver estimates that 75 percent of her “crucial parenting effort” has taken place during or surrounding the time of her family convenes for their evening meal.

Savoring a meal is not limited to life in Italy—although it certainly helps. We can enjoy unhurried appreciation every time we sit down to eat. Wellesley’s own Dr. Lilian Cheung, who recently collaborated with Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh on the book
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, offers a few suggestions for bringing a more savoring, mindful approach to every day family meals:

1. Reserve a time to share dinner as a family.
2. Work together to prepare the meal and set the table.
3. Choose foods and drinks that are good for your health and good for the planet.
4. When you are at the table, turn off the TV and put away the homework and the day’s mail.
5. As you sit down, practice conscious breathing a few times to bring your bodies and minds together.
6. Refrain from arguing at the table. Let your meals be times of nourishment on many levels.
7. As you serve and eat your meal, notice the sounds, colors, smells, and textures and your mind’s reaction to them.
8. Eat in moderation by using a small dinner plate-- and fill it only once. Chew thoroughly and eat slowly by putting down your utensils between bites.
9. Don’t skip meals -- that makes it harder to make mindful choices. When hunger consumes us, the strong forces of habit may lead us to grab whatever foods are close at hand and often those foods often will not further our healthy-eating goals.
10. Create an environment that supports healthy eating and active living: Don’t stock sugary drinks at home; remove the television from your children’s bedrooms; limit their recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours a day; encourage your children to be active each day for an hour a day.


To more fully explore Dr. Cheung’s ideas,  visit savorthebook.com, where you will find mindfulness forums, recipes, nutrition information, meditations, and the insights of Thich Nhat Hahn. You can also follow the Savor movement on Twitter  and Facebook.

Lisa Leslie Henderson