If you tend to punish yourself with food, try my 6 Ways To Practice Self-Kindness Through Food instead! I love to show kindness to others by preparing nourishing plant-based meals, BUT I also like to make time every week to practice self-kindness through food. Making time to practice self-kindness through food helps me put the “oxygen mask” on myself first so I can better help others like you!
The food we put into our bodies, as well as how we prepare and eat it, can bring about very different results physically and emotionally. In extremes, think about how you feel after rushing to inhale a highly processed fast “food” meal in your car versus how you feel after sitting down at your dinner table to mindfully savor your favorite fresh, healthy recipe that you cooked at home. Even if the former is more the norm for you due to a hectic schedule, making time to practice one or more of the strategies below at least once a week can infuse your meals, and thus your life, with more self-kindness!
Here are 6 ways I infuse my meals with self-kindness every week:
1. Breathe and practice gratitude. Before I start to either cook or eat a meal, I take 5 slow deep breaths. This simple little pause allows me to be present and find gratitude for all of the sunshine, people, and love that made this food possible for me in this moment.
2. Cook at home. Although I love a good restaurant, there’s nothing like setting aside time to lovingly prepare a home cooked meal. To add some joyful anticipation to the process, a few days ahead of time I flip through my favorite cookbooks, food blogs, and social media to find a recipe I feel excited to cook – whether it’s an old cozy favorite or an exciting new challenge! If you need some ideas, many of my favorite recipes are available here.
3. Use colorful fresh ingredients. I always include fresh whole foods in a variety of colors, such as rich red raspberries and vibrant leafy greens, when preparing my meals. Eating food in a variety of colors not only makes the meal more visually appealing, but it ensures you’re getting a healthy mix of vitamins and minerals. Bonus if you can pick up your ingredients while soaking up some Vitamin D on a leisurely stroll through your local farmer’s market!
4. Disconnect to connect. Turning off my phone, TV, and any other nearby electronic devices makes it much easier for me to really connect with myself and enjoy each bite of food. In a rush to get through my email backlog or catch up my favorite TV show, I too often realize I’m halfway through a meal without having really tasted any of it!
5. Slow down and savor. In order to truly savor the flavor and texture of my food, I use the easy tricks of putting my utensil down between each bite and trying to chew each bite up to 20 times before swallowing. This allows me to mindfully enjoy my meal, and supports better digestion!
6. Don’t Diet: Dieting is a joy-killer, and has little to do with self-kindness. When I say “diet”, I’m talking about a weight-loss diet. If, however, you have chosen to add loads of healthy plants to your daily round-up to make your meals healthier, make sure that you LOVE everything you eat. If you are having to “force” down certain foods because you’ve heard they’re healthy, your body won’t rejoice and digest them is the same way as food you love.
