While listening to a mindful eating podcast I heard a fantastic message and I wanted to share it with you today.
After eating we should not feel tired and lethargic because our food is fuel.
If you find yourself sleepy or low on energy after a meal it’s important to remember that the purpose of eating is to energize us.
From personal experience I find after a full meal I need to relax for about half an hour. This is is reasonable, after all, we are not supposed to swim for at least 30 minutes after eating, right? Hehe ;-).
Here’s another perspective on approaching mindful eating from the
podcast mentioned above – briefly written out and a link to the podcast in case you’d like to listen to the whole experience shared by
Chel Hamilton.
Picture yourself in a banquet hall looking at a table full of food. This food piled up on the table is everything you’ve eaten for the past year… Somethings you feel proud of because there are healthy choices on the table! Others maybe you wish you hadn’t eaten.
Now is your chance, start to take off those foods that didn’t fuel your body and put them in the trashcan. When you come across those delicious brownies or Philly cheesesteak I don’t want you to feel obligated to throw the whole thing away, but instead keep a small serving of that delectable food. There’s always room for our favorites even if they’re not “healthy.” Once you’ve cleared off the table take a survey of what is left. Notice if there’s anything missing, maybe you don’t see any fruit or it’s lacking lean protein sources? Fill in the empty spots with whole food choices (things that appear as close to their natural state as possible).
There’s more to this exercise in
the podcast and I hope you’ll check it out!
Food for thought:
What is on your table? Does it look as colorful and delicious as you would like?
Are there less healthy options crowding out space for more nutritious choices? We all have the chance to set a new table this year. How would you like yours to look?
