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I'd like to step outside the typical thread we have oriented to actual recipies themselves to the art of eating.
I've had some interesting reflections lately about my relationship with food. I know that most Americans over-eat habitually and I am one of them. In another thread someone mentioned that with Brown rice acidity builds up if one doesn't chew it well and just woofs it down. But I'm starting to wonder now if much of good digestion and even ability to eat less with more satisfaction comes from eating more mindfully.
I found that even though herbal suppliments like Hoodia did actually curb my hunger, I overate just as compulsively, because I just enjoy the taste and experiance of eating.... but because I eat very fast the experiance would be too short with a healther (smaller) portion of food. So I habitually eat very good food, asian or otherwise, and enjoy it.... but I just eat too much of it all because I eat too fast and unmindfully. I realize that if I might have cultivated the habit of eating slower, and more mindfully, I'd get the same pleasure of the eating experiance I enjoy with much smaller portions and lose the weight I want to.
So I raise it for discussion. Some of us here are from Asia and it seems like I recall mindful eating being a part of many Asian philosophies. So if you have an experiance or information on developing habits of mindful eating please share them in this thread.
I've had some interesting reflections lately about my relationship with food. I know that most Americans over-eat habitually and I am one of them. In another thread someone mentioned that with Brown rice acidity builds up if one doesn't chew it well and just woofs it down. But I'm starting to wonder now if much of good digestion and even ability to eat less with more satisfaction comes from eating more mindfully.
I found that even though herbal suppliments like Hoodia did actually curb my hunger, I overate just as compulsively, because I just enjoy the taste and experiance of eating.... but because I eat very fast the experiance would be too short with a healther (smaller) portion of food. So I habitually eat very good food, asian or otherwise, and enjoy it.... but I just eat too much of it all because I eat too fast and unmindfully. I realize that if I might have cultivated the habit of eating slower, and more mindfully, I'd get the same pleasure of the eating experiance I enjoy with much smaller portions and lose the weight I want to.
So I raise it for discussion. Some of us here are from Asia and it seems like I recall mindful eating being a part of many Asian philosophies. So if you have an experiance or information on developing habits of mindful eating please share them in this thread.
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Dallas
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Re: Mindful eating?
Wed, September 27, 2006 - 8:00 AMI became very conscious of eating when I started to faint in college and found out that I'm now hypoglycemic, which I'm sure was caused completely from diet. I went from eating Vietnamese food for every meal, every day to terrible college eating habits of late night pizza, bagels for breakfast, and a sub for lunch - all carbs, not enough greens or fruit and I was a vegetarian at the time. I cook VN at home, but not every meal like my parents so I always try to balance it because VN homestyle seems to always be balanced (small portions of rice served with several dishes, usually a stir fry, a light clear broth soup, a pickled thing, and a stew). I don't always eat what's good for me, but I try to eat healthy snacks all day (fruit like grapes, peaches, apples, pears, or veggies like carrots, celery, snap peas) and eat something light for breakfast like miso soup or chao (rice porridge). I find that if I have an even blood sugar level throughout the day I don't eat a ton of food at dinner nor do I come home starving.
I'm still learning to be aware of certain things. Just this last year I realize that I give me and my sweetie the same portions. He's 6'1" and I'm 5'1"! I realized that, logcially, we should not be eating the same portion size so now I make sure to give him what I would have normally eaten and then cut down my protion size accordingly. I also try not to eat a whole portion at a restaurant or we share an entree because restaurants serve you way too much food.
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Re: Mindful eating?
Thu, September 28, 2006 - 11:13 AMi love food. i heard that there are people that really taste their food and because of that, tend to enjoy and savor their food. i like to think that i fall in that group. growing up in a very Chinese household, each meal consisted of an abundance of rice that we eat with a variety of meats (chicken, pork, beef), veggies and soup to finish it off with.
i was conditioned to eat quickly since i also had to compete with my two older siblings. as a consequence, i never really learned how to enjoy my food. i had to eat as quick as possible otherwise, all the good pieces would be taken!
when i graduated from high school and moved out on my own, i didn't know how to cook, so relied on restaurant food. i usually ended up eating several portions. i found that i was eating huge amounts of food because of the way i was raised at home.
this all stopped one day, when while i was eating my normal huge portions, i just stopped. i had only finished about half of one entree, when i felt completely stuffed and could not eat another bite. even though i still had over two entrees in front of me.
i didn't feel any different in terms of how much energy i had, i just simply could not eat such huge portions anymore. it has been several years since this incident happened and i am not eating a more normal sized portion (just one) at each meal.
i've learned to take my time eating and am usually the slowest person at the table in my group of friends. i savor the taste and flavor of the food i'm eating now. i also try not to overseason my food, so i can taste the food and not just the (pepper, salt, chilli, etc.) condiment i'm adding.
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Re: Mindful eating?
Thu, September 28, 2006 - 7:25 PMI like food very much, too ... that I believe if we understand eating better then we will all understand anything that nurture us in a greater level.
mindful eating, ... I would bring up about nature at first and most for eating ... eating is also a form of enjoying art. the presentation in our eyes and tongues for the significant impression.
in Japanese dish, it is very important to give respect into foods so that presentation is primal. presentation in not quantity but delicacy and art ... in small portions in variety and harmony ... of colors, textures, and nature. we bring so much nature ( season ) into dish. we have the word for that, Shun, which is the ripeness of a season in food. for example, it is Shun for spike mackerel and ginkgo nuts now. in such presentation, we appreciate the nature, that through the presentation, we can learn gratitude and respect, and the presentation connect us with mother nature . I don't think all Japanese people are aware of it but in our subconsciousness I believe respect and gratitude to mother nature still exist within most Japanese when we see such presentation in food. it is not that we, Japanese, teach us the gratitude and respect to nature, it is the nature that educates us.
unfortunately, our bodies are so used to chemical now that our bodies tend to seek chemical instead of nutrition. and our soil and water are intoxicated and polluted. our body cells can not receive adequate nutrition anymore so that dissatisfaction in our cells seek quantity of food in our stomaches and extra taste ( condiments ) on our tongues.
I can go on and on ... ( you can go to my website, preventive medicine, to read more if anyone is interested in what I mean, in general, ... not into details yet. www.mermaidsutra.com )
food does not come from stores or restaurant as we know, it is nature's abundance. when we really know about it then, I believe, we can bring mindful eating into our lives and respect and gratitude to our environment, and that will bring the true health and wealth to our lives and our environment. -
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Re: Mindful eating?
Fri, September 29, 2006 - 5:00 PMLiving in Japan for 16 years my body has changed, for the better.
I cannot stomach anymore of my once craved list of munchies from the states. It was strange to have craved something for a few years and then return to lose my appetite with half of it still on the plate.
I live in a rural agriculture community and this of course influences greatly what I eat. Of course Japanese food and the people are known to be healthy but the times are a changin. I think a lot of it has to do with choices. When I first came there wasn't really many choices. In general everything was healthy. I remember only one convenience store about 40 minutes away and now they are friggin everywhere. There is so much more choices now and fast food..., most of these choices are unhealthy. People, for the most part, are not able to be responsible enough to consciously maintain a healthy diet. They usually have more important things to do, like having fun.?! People are irresponsible and America has far too many bad choices. It takes a huge conscious effort.
It is hard to quit bad habits until we experience the benefits(sugar, fats).
Yes, this culture holds a great appreciation and sensitivity with food. I respect the observation and gratitude found in the presentation of food in Japan. The playful selection of ceramic ware is also a form of enjoyment for many people.
Excuse this,
Here is a bad image of reality for you: convinience stores sell mostly preservatives and chemicals & of course many many other things have them as well now.
(like almost everything) An onigiri from 7/11 will never rot.
In my neighborhood the farmers do not practice cremation yet. Graves are dug for the dead from the small plots. Occasionally if someone dies and then another in a year or 2, the graves are just about on top of each other.
The problem is that the bodies have so many preservatives now that they don't decompose like they used too!!
It seems to me that if preservatives are this strong that they must be effecting us & many of our sensitivities while we are alive as well!
EAT GOOD FOOD
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