No judgments allowed in mindful dining. Practicing mindfulness while eating transforms your eating experience into a higher state of pleasure that gratifies all of your senses. Mindful eating has many benefits that enhance your overall holiday while traveling. When practicing mindfulness while consuming foods and beverages, it helps improve your overall health, reduce stress and lead to genuinely enjoying meals at your destination. Here are 7 ways to mindfully dine while traveling:
1. Ask "Am I Hungry"
While traveling, our bodies go through changes such as time zones impacting circadian rhythms and pressurized air cabins on airplanes contributing to gas inside your stomach and decrease in oxygen intake. This can impact our stress levels, eating habits and can lead to emotional eating. If you feel the urge to eat or drink something, pause for a moment and ask yourself "Am I Really Hungry," which will help keep your body in harmony during travel.
2. Sit
What a difference it makes sitting while eating. If you're visiting Paris, you'll notice residents of Paris are masters of mindful eating. Parisians love their food and take in all the pleasures of their food and city by sitting instead of walking with food or beverage in hand. This technique also helps you enjoy the beauty of your food as well as your destination which leads to an overall better holiday experience.
3. Drink Clean Water
We all know clean water is vital for life. There are some many pluses in addition to treating and preventing dehydration such as having more energy, weight management, better digestion, improved immune system, enhance feel good mood, keep skin hydrated and preventative of wrinkles as well as reduce jet lag. Aim for 6-10 cups/day or 48-80 ounces/day. To air on the safe side, drink bottled water over tap (some countries have clean tap water such as Switzerland, UK, Austria, Malta that's safe to drink).
4. Take Your Time
Behold your meal and take at least 20-30 minutes to eat and drink your food. To lengthen the time, focus on your meal, put your utensils down while consuming food, chew and swallow fully and take a sip of your beverage between bites. This allows you to truly enjoy your food and drink while fully satisfying your hunger.
5. Engage all of your senses
View your food and drink as a masterpiece. Let your eyes smile as you admire your table centerpiece, listen to sounds of freshly cooked meat, smell the aromas of steamed vegetables traveling through your nose, feel the texture of brie as it touches your lips, taste the spices prepared in your dessert. This mindfulness practice turns your meal from hunger satisfaction to a world-class dining event.
6. Be open-minded
I once told my mom "Why go to a country if you're not going to eat their food." Learn new ways of eating such as eating noodles with chop sticks or identifying the location of your dessert fork and spoon at a fine dining establishment. This will enhance your cultural awareness and teach you new techniques to share stories about.
7. Appreciate
The key to mindfulness is gratitude. Feeling and showing appreciation is a wonderful life practice that leads to greater happiness for yourself and others. Share gratitude for all involved in your meal and be thankful you are able to travel and enjoy your destination's foods and drinks. There is power in appreciation. Appreciation improves relationships, physical, emotional and spiritual health and increases your quality of life and travels.
Comments