Eating mindfully - Friday, May 16

I read an article this week about how the UN World Food Program can no longer afford to supply free breakfasts to many poor communities because the price of rice has more than doubled! These breakfast programs were getting kids to school that otherwise wouldn't receive an education. Back here in the US, we are buying rice in bulk not really knowing for sure if we are having a shortage or not, but the media has scared us into thinking that if we don't hoard it, we're all going to starve or something. Just the point of this month's challenge - getting in touch with reality, being mindful.

So here's how the week went:

Meditate every day  - I missed two days (Mother's day and yesterday). This is such a powerful practice for me that I don't want to get out of the habit. It's only 10-20 minutes out of my day and well worth it.

Sit down while I eat - Thanks for all the well wishes and good vibes from everyone! Although I had a couple "grazing" days (sigh), I also had a four whole days where I didn't have a single nibble that wasn't part of a sit-down meal. That may sound silly, but for me it's HUGE!

Enjoy at least one meal a day in the company of someone else - I can do even better than that! In addition to eating dinner together almost every night, Dave and I have been sitting down to breakfast together every morning (at the kitchen table, no less), enjoying watching the day dawn, relaxing our way into each day. This has been really wonderful and a perfect way to start the day. Rather than rush through, nibbling breakfast in bed or on the couch in the living room like we are used to doing for all meals, we are taking time out to be together and enjoy a meal in a different setting - making food an event to be shared together and not just something that blends in with the rest of the day. We've done this for dinner a few times too!

Eat slowly - This one is pretty easy for me. The only day I had trouble was Wednesday. I had a meeting that ran WAY over at work and had to rush to the dentist. I actually inhaled half my lunch in the car and the other half in the waiting room. I ended up feeling ill and completely unsatisfied afterwards (although at least I stopped shaking - my blood sugar was too low, too long without food).  This is definitely not a good habit to get into, but every other day was just fine - nice and slow.

No multi-tasking during meals - I'm getting more in the habit of this and it's not feeling quite  so awkward. I did catch myself reaching for something to read at breakfast the other day and stopped before I had it in my hands. It really helps to eat at the table rather than at my desk, in bed, or on the couch. I'm less tempted at the kitchen table. 

So here we are smack dab in the middle of the Eating Mindfully in May Challenge. I'm feeling pretty good about things. We've started some new habits like eating together more and enjoying meals at the kitchen table. I still struggle with the afternoon nibbles, but I'm getting better.  I've actually shown myself that it is possible to have a no-nibble, eating-with-mindfulness day. Now to just make more of them. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Happy (and mindful) eating! 

BTW - does anyone know what happened to Blue Collar Crunch? She disappeared this week...