Discover Mindful Eating Handout: The Gift of Food Handout Description The mindful eater views food as a great gift. This handout presents this idea and introduces the concept of respect. Comments to Consider This handout is more effective if the client is receptive to the idea of food as a gift. This handout is trying to increase existing skills of self-care. Self-care skills need to be present for this handout to be effective. If not, guilt and shame can be the resulting emotions, as it looks at the effort that others gave to create the food for this meal. If the client is unable to see mindless eating as not honoring, Talking Points to Use with the Client Review handout questions for discussion ideas. Other Handouts that Might be Useful Graceful Arriving Overeating Dishonors Food Food is for Nourishment Your Observations - 60 -
The Gift of Food Discover Mindful Eating As a mindful eater, you begin to see food as a great giftone that deserves our highest respect. If we view food as a gift, we begin to understand the need to approach food mindfully. When we do this, we do not honor this gift of food. The mindful eater regards every meal, every serving, and every bite as an enjoyable, nourishing, energy-providing thing. Try This Before you take a bite of any food, think about what it would take if you had to grow, tend, harvest, slaughter, clean and prepare that food by yourself. Look deeply to see the effort, work, energy and sacrifice in any food. Questions Make a list of all the people who contributed to the most recent meal you had. Make a list of all the plants and animals that were in your most recent meal. What other factors of food might you reflect on as you eat? What does if feel like to eat with honor and respect for the energy, work and life gifts of food? - 61 -
Discover Mindful Eating Handout: Graceful Arriving Handout Description The practice of training the mind to value food and the experience of eating can promote contentment and life-kindness. This practice over time can also lead to deeper insights about food, eating and self-care. Comments to Consider This handout has some spiritual tones to it. This handout is asking clients to cultivate gratitude, which may not be expected at an appointment. The Art of The Inner Meal, may also be a helpful resource. Having established patient trust, use your counseling skill to evaluate receptivity prior to using this handout:. You might hear her speak of her spiritual practice or the importance of her faith. You can explore if she might be comfortable cultivating gratitude. Present this handout openly, making sure that there is no perceived judgment if the client is not comfortable with it. Talking Points to Use with the Client. more appreciation for the food Other Handouts that Might be Useful Arriving at Food Five Simple Questions Your Observations - 68 -
Graceful Arriving Discover Mindful Eating One way to arrive at any meal is to pause and give thanks. Long ago, human beings realized and understood the great gifts of energy, effort and life that food represents, and from that the practice of saying a grace before meals came to be. This expression of gratitude has been present in every culture for thousands of years. No matter what personal or spiritual beliefs you may have, you can find some words of mindfulness and thanks that make sense for you. Here are two examples: A Simple Grace May I accept this food with deepest gratitude, mindful of the many sacrifices and efforts to bring it here today. May I honor this food by taking only what I need, by putting it to use to the greater good, and by eating it with attention and appreciation. And by honoring this food, may I honor myself as I strive to live in dignity and grace and live my life in a more sacred way. A Deeper Grace I am grateful for the food I will eat. For the hands that have prepared it For the soil that nourished it For the sun that warmed it and helped it grow. I am aware of eating this food. Of its powerful ability to nourish my body & nurture my being. Slowly I will eat and chew my food. Tasting its flavor and enjoying its texture, smell and color. I eat this food aware of the joy it gives me I smile with each bite. I am not mindless, angry, fearful or rushed. Eating gives me pleasure that I permit myself to feel. I eat this food with love for my whole body. If you like either or both, cut them out and place them by your plate. Pause before each meal and say a grace, either silently or aloud. Think deeply about the meaning of each sentence yourself eating in a mindful, purposeful, honoring way. Activity Consider writing your own grace! Use the back of this paper to develop the words you wish to say before every meal. Feel free to use parts of the two graces above as starting points. And then: use your own grace each time you eat. - 69 -
Discover Mindful Eating Handout: Leaving Food on the Plate! Handout Description The consequence of eating more than your body needs is greater than feeling overfed or experiencing weight gain. appreciation and gratitude. Comments to Consider This handout can be more effective if you review the concept of proximity eating with the client. Mindful eating relies on the eater to check in with internal cues instead of relying on food availability or portion size. This handout presents these concepts as a way to empowering the self and honoring food. Explore with the client the paradox of how throwing food away is an act of generosity. This handout also has an element of non-harm in it. This concept can be difficult to implement. As a primer to this handout, consider having the client throw away part of the meal or snack, instead of leaving it on the plate. For example: If the client has had a past experience and is aware that eating a whole bagel will be too much food, he might choose to throw away ½ prior to eating instead of leaving part of the bagel on the plate. For people experiencing financial strain, this handout may not be appropriate. Talking Points to Use with the Client Review handout questions for discussion ideas. Other Handouts that Might be Useful Mindless Eating Dishonors Food Your Observations - 110 -
Leaving Food on the Plate! Discover Mindful Eating unthinkable to leave food on the plate. Of all the ideas of mindful eating, this is the one with which people have the most problem. Many people learned when they were very Some people hate the idea of throwing away food in the trash can, and would rather overeat and harm their bodies. If it helps, remind yourself that a trash canand not your bodyis Mindful eating teaches that food is a gift and to honor it. To eat more than is needed is to dishonor the gift. So, sometimes you have to leave food on your plate. This is difficult, because it seems so wasteful. And indeed it may be a little wasteful. But which is better: to waste some of the food or to When you eat more than you actually need, you can lose something very important: your sense of appreciation and gratitude for food. Try At your next meal, practice leaving some food on your plate, as a symbolic act of appreciation and gratitude for the food you do have. Questions Instead of throwing away the, could you: Save some for a lunch or dinner serving? -? Take the extra and create a new meal;; for example, extra hamburger can be made into meatballs or meat sauce? Compost the food? Create a meal for a friend or co-worker? Freeze extra vegetables for soup? What else could you do with it? What are the reasons you do not use these alternatives? - 111 -