Chew Deliberately. Didn't our mothers tell us something like: "Make sure you chew your food well?" Turns out, (like many other things) she was right. Just read something on the Oprah website about eating consciously, from somebody like the Dali Lama. An example was to take an apple- look at it, feel it, smell it and when you eat it, REALLY focus on the apple and your experience (crunch, taste, smell) eating the apple. Coincidentally, I recently read an article about a guy trying to be the healthiest guy in America, who had started trying to chew each bite of food 50 times! I think he usually did it about 30, but that's still a lot. Since I read about the same subject twice, it made me think there's a trend going on here. Coincidence or synchronicity? As someone trying to lose weight, this is also a helpful tool. Sometimes I eat in the car, on the way to my destination. Oftentimes it is an apple I eat, crunching away, while driving and listening to the radio. Am I really enjoying the apple? Of course not. I also tend to eat my trusty Lean Cuisines in front of the tube, gobbling down the meager serving while vegging out to The View. Better to sit at the table, with all your focus on your meal, and chew your food well. Sometimes, when I am cooking for company, I've spent so much time getting ready for the meal that when I sit down and eat, it's almost as a chore I have to plow through, rather than a pleasure to be savored. I inhale the food and exhale, ready for dessert, not eating consciously at all. I think the Italians (and Europeans in general) have it right; they make meals an occasion, drawn out and delightful. Of course, the wine they serve with meals doesn't hurt a bit. Most of us don't have time for three hour meals but even if it's fifteen minutes spent eating take out, relax and enjoy it. So try the apple experiment and make an effort to really chew and enjoy your food. Eat like an Italian. Buon appetito!
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