Experiential eating

People often ask me if it’s okay from an Intuitive Eating perspective to do other things while they eat, like read a book, watch a video, or talk on the phone.

Intuitive Eating would ask you to sit with your food sometimes without doing those things. It might not feel natural at first, and eventually you’ll be able to get to a comfortable place doing so.

Sometimes you’ll choose to eat with those distractions. It’s all good.

The point is to learn to reconnect to the eating experience. If we don’t practice connecting to the eating experience, we won’t be able to reach that connection.

Think about it like this: what do you do on Shabbos when there are no phones while eating? How does that affect the experience of the seudah?

Now can you apply that habit to a weekday meal?

Whether you’ll be fasting tomorrow or not, it’s a great opportunity to connect to the experience of eating.

If you’ll be fasting, notice the times that come up during the day when you rely on food as an activity to keep you busy or distracted, as opposed to coming from your hunger.

If you’ll be eating, notice what comes up for you if you try to eat without distractions.

It would definitely be fascinating and interesting to “listen” to the chatter in your own head. We all have it.

The three weeks are the perfect time for introspection and reflection, and really understand why we make the food choices we make. For so many of us, the way we relate to food is actually stopping us from accomplishing the things we are meant to be doing in this world.

xo,
Rena