Mindful eating replaces self-criticism with self-nurturing. It replaces shame with
respect for your own inner wisdom.
--Jon Chozen Bays
The past two weeks have been quite difficult. I have had Covid and besides the physical struggles that go along with it there are also the mental and emotional struggles that go along with it as well. For example, there is a sense of isolation that goes along with being ill and having to quarantine yourself, being removed from your job is yet another and then there is the fact that you have a desire to complete tasks but yet, do not have the physical energy to complete them.
One of the things that I started doing just before all of this lunacy started in my life, was to begin watching what I was eating once again. One of the books that I love reading that reignites my excitement when I am starting on this type of journey once again is a book called ONE BOWL by Don Gerard.
One of the very first things that I was reminded of what is the importance of how many things we are distracted by normally when we are eating. Since I have been sick, I eat most of my meals by myself. This has allowed me to truly experience, by myself, the food from the moment I take it from the fridge, as I begin to prepare it, until I serve myself in my bowl.
And then there is the bowl. I so enjoyed picking out my bowl some time ago. I have a bowl that I bought that fits perfectly in my hand and holds “just enough.“ It is the perfect shape, perfect size and speaks to me about my experience.
Now, I have also faced the misfortune of losing my taste and smell during my bout with Covid. This has changed my experience with eating as well. However, it has made me mindful of becoming very aware of the textures of my food, trying to become aware of when my body is hungry and listening to when it is full. Admittedly, it is very easy NOT to eat when you are sick. I have made it a point to, however, to take excellent care of my body and to prepare meals lovingly for it despite the fact that it may not always be calling for food.
When you learn to respect eating only from your bowl it becomes quite theatric. After all, how often do people eat something from a package or a box or straight from a carton. Nope, that doesn’t happen here. Every single thing that you decide that you were going to eat must first be placed in your bowl- your vessel. You learned that there is wisdom in how we eat, when we eat, why we eat, what we eat, with whom we eat, etc.
I would love to hear if you give the book a read! It’s a favorite for me and is a beautiful and quick read. Let me know if you pick it up and send me a pic if you pick up a bowl just for you!