Day 7- Today. Eat Slower. In Silence.

 “To be worthy of the name, Homo Sapiens should rid himself of speed before it reduces him to a species in danger of extinction.   A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life.” The Slow Food Manifesto 

Day 7 – Eat Slower And Enjoy Every Bite

If you’ve read the whole Slow Food Manifesto you’ve seen that the Slow Food Movement it’s not just about eating, it’s a lifestyle. And besides the immediate physical and psychological benefits of taking your time to enjoy what you eat, there are shared values of people who embrace a conscious living.

How To Do This: It’s quite easy. First, take a few seconds to enjoy your food with your eyes and nose before digging in. Really look into your plate, be curious and delighted about what you see. Second, take smaller bites and chew a longer time than usual. Notice the different tastes and textures that mix in your mouth while you chew. Take a few seconds before going for the next bite. And continue like this until you finish. Bon appétit! 🙂

Step Away From Your Phone 🙂 I know it’s tough but before you sit down to eat, put away your phone, your laptop, turn off the TV or the radio. If You are with a friend, agree not to talk with each other. At least for one meal today, focus all your attention on Yourself and your food.

While documenting for this exercise, I’ve found this post on zenhabits.com about slow food: 5 Powerful Reasons To Eat Slower. Here they are:

1. Lose weight

2. Enjoy your food

3. Better digestion

4. Less stress

5. Rebel against fast food and fast life

My experience with this: When I was in kinder-garden there was a fixed and very short time to eat. If one of us didn’t finish eating on time, that was it, no more food.  Although I’ve been briefly in that system, that conditioning stayed with me, and for many years I’ve been rushing to finish eating. Since almost everyone was doing the same, I thought this was the norm.

Then I saw some people taking their time to eat. They looked calm, content, happy. Hmmm, that made me wonder 🙂 And on my many travels I’ve noticed that French people are among the best adepts of slow food lifestyle. I just love their “savoir vivre”.

So I’ve began eating slower and more conscious. I don’t do it every time I eat, but still, when I am eating with friends, I am almost always the last one to finish.

I still fall back, get caught up in the rush of getting things done and eat while reading on my laptop or watching a movie. But then I remember and slow down again.

It’s an ongoing process.

Besides it’s physiological benefits, eating slower is a simple yet powerful “small thing” to do to become more grounded and centered; another piece of the big puzzle of reconnecting with our gut feeling.

So this is my experience so far with today’s exercise.

I  am so looking forward to be hearing how it was for You. Let me know in the comments bellow.

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Stay tuned for tomorrow’s exercise! 

With all my love,

Raluca

PS: If You want to read more about eating slower and the connections with love making check out this post .

PPS:  It’s been a week since we’ve been on this challenge together. Thank you for doing this, for your feed-back, for being awesome!

Photo credit: myself 🙂 it’s my recipe of noodles with raw carrot, bell pepper, ginger sauce with a sprinkle of chia seeds on top.