The unexpected benefits of blessing my food
A recent meditation I listened to said, "if you have a roof over your head, a place to sleep and food to eat, you are richer than 75% of the world."
When we have the blessing of being able to eat three meals a day, it can be often be something we take for granted and rush though as a means to simply fill our stomachs instead of remembering that food is medicine and how we eat can impact our well-being as much as what we're eating.
About 6 months ago, I started the habit of blessing my food, whether a full meal or just a snack, before taking the first bite. I realized I would spend so much time preparing the food and then not be fully present with the actual act of eating the food once it was ready. Adding a blessing before seemed like a good way to pause and just “be” with my food after the work of preparing and before the act of eating.
There are so many things that can distract us from our food, especially if eating feels like a routine instead of a ritual.
Conversations with others at our table 🗣️
Working while eating 👩🏻💻
Checking notifications 🔔
The thoughts in our own head 💭
Scrolling social media 📱
Watching tv 📺
(Even after doing this practice for 6 months I still notice how often I unconsciously snag a first bite off my plate before I remember to pause and bless.)
And I also want to acknowledge that many of us have a complicated relationship with food that can sometimes make it feel more like a curse than a blessing.
While I initially started the practice in order to give thanks and appreciate my food, I came to realize that when I would remember to bless my food before eating I became more mindful while eating.
I am more aware of the bites I'm taking
how fast I'm eating
or if I'm chewing enough before swallowing.
When I pay more attention to each bite I find the food more fulfilling. I slow down and appreciate the experience of eating. Even the digestion of my food feels easier.
And like the meditation says, blessing my food helps me take a moment to consider the 75% of the world that in that exact moment I’m about to begin eating, might not be able to give thanks for this same blessing in their life.
This Thanksgiving, as you sit around your table and prepare to take your first bite, may you feel the blessing of having the food on your plate, remember the medicine that food can be to your body and experience the nourishment food provides to your spirit.
