Gratitude and Mindful Eating
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! The crisp autumn air, beautiful leaves changing here on the East Coast, and warm delicious dishes are irresistible. It also gives us a chance to pause from the bustle of fall activities before heading into the holiday season. Taking a moment and a step back to breathe and have gratitude for what we do have (even when many of us don't have everything we want) can help us realize how lucky we are.
Eating mindfully is a chance to practice gratitude anytime, and it’s good for you. We can give thanks not only for direct access to food but for all that goes into growing, preparing, transporting, cooking, sharing and—yes— tasting it. Some studies even suggest that mindful eating practices like giving thanks during your meals may help you stay healthy and support positive eating habits. We encourage you to ask yourself today and every day, What are you grateful for?
Mindful Eating and Gratitude
One of the reasons we love food so much is because it’s an experience that brings us joy! Yet there are many aspects of food that bring us pleasure, some of which are so ingrained in our everyday experiences that we may overlook them.
A 2020 study examined 100+ articles and other resources to define the many factors of eating pleasure, their impact on health, and how they may be used to support healthy eating practices. The things that bring us pleasure from food include: social experiences, sensory experiences, novelty and the memories associated with eating, such as those Thanksgiving feasts while growing up.
Consider how you can be mindful of them during your next meal, whether at home, out at a restaurant, or with family or friends. It’s an amazing opportunity to give thanks for your food and the experience of eating.
This study also found evidence of a positive relationship between eating pleasure and dietary outcomes, suggesting that it may support your ability to make good nutrition, food, and eating decisions.
Even further, research suggests that mindful eating practices are effective in addressing overweight and obesity, emotional eating, eating in response to external cues, and disordered eating practices like binging. A recent study of university students found that lower mindful eating scores were significantly associated with increased binge eating and total mood disturbance (a measure of tension-anxiety, depression, anger-hostility, vigor, fatigue, and confusion).
How to Eat mindfully:
You don’t need a book or anything elaborate to eat mindfully.
Here are my basic tips:
Create a meal you love—it can be as simple as soup.
Set the table.
Eat in a clutter-free space.
Eat sitting down.
Eat one bit at a time and chew it all the way.
Close your eyes sometimes to get your brain to savor the taste.
Take your time.
Give thanks for your meal, for the farmer who grew the food, for the rain and sunshine that nourished the crops.
What goes into getting food?
In the pandemic, we all learned to appreciate food a little more. For some, it was the first time we experienced shortages on the shelves. It reminds us not to take the food that we are so lucky to have for granted. Many, but not all, of us have access to a variety of foods from around the nation and from different countries of the world.
Just a few farm facts:
Two million farms dot America’s rural landscape.
The work of one U.S. farm feeds approximately 166 people every year in the U.S. and abroad.
Women make up 36% of the total number of U.S. farm operators; 56% of all farms have at least one female decision-maker.
Acknowledging Food Insecurity in America
Being mindful about food also acknowledges that food access is not the same across the country or the world. The pandemic has made things worse and many families lost income or an adult in the household due to COVID-19. According to the USDA's latest Household Food Insecurity in the United States report, more than 38 million people— including 12 million children—experienced hunger in 2020. Last year, over 60 million Americans used local food banks and community programs for food and nutrition support.
We all have a role to play in helping alleviate hunger in America. Hunger affects people in every community of America from all walks of life. With one medical emergency, injury, illness, or job loss, millions of people in America are at risk of facing hunger. One way to transform your gratitude into action is to help others—whether it be volunteering, donating or being part of a solution in some way. It is important that we all play a role, and I hope you’ll keep this in mind on this coming Giving Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
I hope you can enjoy time with family and friends this year in safety. Have a warm and nourishing Thanksgiving!