Eating Joyfully

With so much talk of dieting and calorie counting and making sure you choose healthy food, it can be easy to lose sight of the importance of enjoying food. As humans, there are hundreds of reasons that we eat, in addition to satisfying our hunger.

Food is a tool that brings people together. It evokes childhood memories, feelings of love and sadness, reminds us of long summer days or chilly winter evenings. In addition to the consumption of food, all the preparation around it is something that encourages social cohesion and can teach us about our environment. Too frequently we eat on the go or in a hurry, and very quickly forget what we ate, or that we ate something all together.

We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you tap into joyful eating.

1) Cook Your Food

Being more involved in the preparation of your meal will give you more appreciation and satisfaction from the food.

2) Eat with Friends

It can be tricky to find time to share a meal with loved ones. However, inviting some friends or family over for a potluck or mid-week dinner is a worthwhile investment to your week.

3) Pay Attention to Your Body

You may be trying to kick start a new health regime, but make sure you aren’t ignoring your body when it comes to making decisions about what to eat. A salad might not always be what you’re in the mood for. Take a few minutes to think about what you really feel like eating. Following DayTwo’s Personalized Nutrition Recommendations will help you achieve this with ease as you will discover which foods are specifically good for your body.

4) Ditch the Screen

Try eating without going on your phone, computer or watching TV. You’ll enjoy the food more and be more aware of your satiety levels.

5) Grow Herbs and Veggies

Pot a few plants and put them on the windowsill. You’ll have them on standby to add to salads, soups and sandwiches.

6) Take your Time

Avoid rushing your meal. It may not be realistic to take 20-30 minutes every time you eat, but aim to sit down and slowly chew your food, a few times a week at least. Put your knife and fork down between bites. More time = more joy!

7) Try Something New

It can get pretty monotonous eating the same food all the time. Next time you’re at the supermarket, try out a new ingredient – a vegetable you’ve never used before, maybe a new kind of grain or spice. You can do a little research before to decide what you would like to try. This is another way to enhance the pleasure of eating as you are giving your tastebuds something different.

We would love to hear your feedback on trying out any of these strategies. Do you have any of your own you would like to share?

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