It’s a snowy day in New York, and I was just thinking it’s a perfect time to remember to slow down. When I looked out onto the streets today, I noticed everyone was walking and driving a little slower thanks to a steady stream of falling snowflakes. Inside my apartment, I was moving a little slower too, but maybe that’s due to the lack of sunshine coming through the windows in my home office.
So to honor my slow mood, I opened up Carl Honoré’s book In Praise of Slowness on my lunch break and re-read the chapter on “Food: Turning the Tables on Speed.” Like the rest of the book, the food chapter is all about slowing down. It’s also about appreciating your food, taking the time to prepare meals at home, and sitting down at a table to eat (rather than scarfing them down in your car, in front of the refrigerator, or over your computer keyboard).
I really appreciate Honoré’s message because I constantly have to remind myself to slow down. Can you relate? I’ve always been a packed schedule, multi-tasking kind of girl, but these days I understand there are major benefits to slowing down a little…especially when it comes to food.
For starters, it’s much easier to avoid overeating when you’re taking the time to chew each bite and take deep breaths in between. For many of us, eating fast is something we do by force of habit. Honoré says, “our reflex is to throw a ready-made meal in the microwave or call out for Thai food. But sometimes a reflex is just that: a reflex.”
Sitting at a table (by yourself or with family and friends) to eat your meals at “a gentle pace” can be life-changing. If you take the time to turn off the television and focus on the food in front of you, you end up tasting the food more and enjoying each bite. If you’re sitting down to eat with other people more often, its likely that those relationships will improve, thanks to more communication and quality time.
Let me know if this strikes a chord with you, and leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts on slowing down and any positive results you’ve noticed when you do.
All the best,
Laurel
UPDATE: This post was featured on FitBuff’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 142 and the Baby Boomers Blog Carnival 28.
