The food you’re about to eat either provides fuel for your mind and body or works against you. Slowing down, eating the right portion, refusing to eat something just because it’s there and being aware of food as energy isn’t just vital for us, it helps sustain the world we live in.
Even if you turn off the TV, the TV in your mind continues to run.
Stop the TV in your head. If there’s thinking still going on in your mind, you’ll be dispersed. To be truly present, you need to not just turn off the TV or radio n your house, you need to turn off the conversations and images in your head.
How much is enough?
We don’t need to eat a lot to feel nourished. When we’re fully there, we eat in a way each bite feeds us with and happiness. If we’re filled with this joy, we may find that we naturally find satisfied with less food.
Don’t chew the worry, fear and anger. Chew the food.
So stop thinking about the business, office or anything that isn’t happening right now.
A grain of rice contains the universe.
When we look at the grain of rice, one second of mindfulness and concentration allows us to see this grain contains the whole world – the rain, the cloud, the earth, time, space, farmers, everything. And suddenly we can see so much in a grain of rice. It’s very quick.
Nourished by the present moment.
In our daily activities, we often rush from one thing to another. In between tasks, we spend our time planning how we would accomplish the future tasks. And all that hurrying and strategizing we become isolated from the present moment. Eating is a chance to return to the present moment and stop the rushing and planning.
Value of a meal is not just determined by the amount of money we spend on the ingredients, or a meal at the restaurant.
There’s so much hard work that goes into growing, harvesting, distributing and cooking even a dish of rice. A good meal doesn’t have to contain the expensive ingredients. The best food is often very simple. They’re things grocery stores couldn’t provide us with. It’s only with mindfulness, concentration and insight that you can get a truly rich meal.
Your body is not just yours. It’s a gift and a responsibility.
To keep it healthy, you need to know how to eat.
Choosing what to eat.
Our way of eating and producing food can be very violent to other species, to our own bodies and to the earth. Or our way of growing, distributing and eating food can be part of creating a larger healing. We get to choose. The planet suffers deeply because of the way many of us are eating now.
Eat to nourish physically as well as spiritually.
Chew your food in such a way that life, joy and solidity. After eating, you’ll feel nourished, not only physically, also mentally and spiritually.
Contemplating our meal.
Contemplating our food for such a moment can bring much happiness. We look at the food in a way the food becomes real. We think about all the animals, plants, minerals and conditions that brought the food to our plate. The food reveals our connection with the earth and all beings.
Eating mindfully helps us remember our determination to eat in a way that preserves our health and well-being, and the health and well-being of the earth.