Little Things You Can Do
Pay Attention to How You Eat
How, when, and where do you eat? If you’re like many Americans, you may often eat while doing something else: while driving, talking on the telephone, watching television, or reading. In short, you may pay little attention to your food.
As a result,- You may not always fully taste and enjoy your food
- You may eat more than you need
- You may sometimes suffer from indigestion or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
Eat with Others
Apart from the biological effects of eating on the run, there are social, psychological, and spiritual effects. Fast food habits can deny you the benefits gained from preparing foods with mindfulness, appreciation, and love, and eating with others in a loving and relaxing atmosphere (Kesten, 1997).
Research demonstrates that the social component to eating is critically important to health outcomes and well-being. In a recent study of adolescents, researchers found that frequent family meals were not only related to better nutritional intake, but also decreased risk for substance abuse, sexual intercourse, depression, eating disorders, and poor academic performance. Family mealtimes are a strong protective factor in the lives of adolescents (Eisenberg, 2004).
