One area I’m going to focus on is meal time. There are far
too many days when I cram food down my throat as fast as I can so I can get to
the next item on the To-Do list. My average breakfast lasts about three
minutes, gulped as quickly as possible so I can get out the door to work. Lunch
is an all-too-short hour packed with exercise and errands in addition to eating
– that is when I’m able to take a lunch break. By the time dinner comes around,
I’m often too tired to cook, not because I’ve been worked to the bone, but
because my job is hectic and disjointed. So I mindlessly microwave something
and eat in front of the tube, before starting the end-of-the-day ritual of
getting ready for the next day, preparing the next breakfast and lunch that I
will very nearly inhale. It’s an incredibly unsatisfying way to eat. Is it any wonder
that I find myself struggling with chocolate cravings in the evening?
We are told that a calorie is a calorie and that weight
maintenance is nothing more than the management of calories in/calories out. If
you buy this, then a Lean Cuisine lunch at your desk is no different than soup
and a sandwich with a friend at a sidewalk café. But they are worlds apart. The
first is a matter of utility; the second is enjoying life.
I find myself longing for the experience of a leisurely
meal, sitting across a table from another person, nibbling between breaks in
the conversation. I fantasize about hours spent gabbing, having friendly
arguments over politics, listening to tales of everyday triumph and tragedy,
all the while crunching on a salad between sips of iced tea, or savoring a
biscotti with a cup of coffee. In this way of being, large quantities of food
are not required. What is required
is quality, and not so much the quality of the food as the quality of the
experience and the relationship. This seems a more civilized way to eat,
something far removed from mere nutrition.
We often talk about our bodies as if they were machines and
food the fuel, to be monitored and measured and optimized. In that paradigm, you
get lectured by your doctor for eating the “wrong” things, right before he
gives you a prescription for the latest appetite suppressant. But what if the
body is not a machine at all? What if it is a gift to be lovingly nurtured? In that paradigm, you eat foods that bring
health and energy, in an enjoyable atmosphere with people you care about. In
that scenario, the only prescription you need is permission to take your time.
I agree and I don't agree.
ReplyDeleteI try to keep food and socialization separate. So a walk and a long chat is something I try to reinforce. Food/socialization is not something I reinforce.
Slowing down my eating is something I really try to do. There were times in the past where I had to go looking around the house to see if I ate all my breakfast or if I had set part of it down and forgot it.
For me, it has to do with satisfaction. I have this notion that if I eat slowly, then less will be more satisfying and maybe the restless, late-night munchies will go away. We'll see!
Delete