Is There A Right Way To Eat? And Does It Even Exist?

When you think about eating your favourite foods, what do you think of first? Everyone’s got a different relationship to food, So there can be lots of ways to approach this- Do you think about the flavour? The satisfaction of fulfilling your craving for that food? The company you’ll share food with? Childhood memories related to the dish? The calories? The macros? Do you feel guilt if it’s “bad food” or pride if it’s “clean food? The aesthetic of the plate for sharing on social media later? Or do you scarf down your food so quickly that you’ve never given any of the above a single thought? Do you think any of these thoughts can be the “right” way to eat? I’m putting forward my two cents on the issue, and what we can do to slowly learn the art of eating.

Do You Have A Relationship With Food?

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, and really think about your relationship with food, you begin to realise that there’s more to it than you may have first thought. Some of you can counter that we don’t really have a relationship with Food. Here’s why I completely disagree. Our relationship with food is not just limited to it being a primal need. Food evokes so many different emotions: nostalgia of our childhood, joy of sharing food, comfort as a way to feel better over things, panic if food is causing weight gain, greed if gluttony is your sin. 

What is the Art Of Eating?

Eating probably comes to us as naturally as breathing.  However, the art of eating is something we never have been taught.  This is important because, unless you learn to eat well, and understand the deeper relationship you have with food, you may never truly be able to change your habits.  In our society, certain inappropriate eating habits have become routine. We need to stop applauding people who are champions of “clean eating” and berating those who eat “bad foods”. We need to stop using comfort food binges as a way to avoid addressing real emotions.. By trying to re-work these habits, maybe we can increase the likelihood we are capable of changing our lifestyles. I’m listing down a few that have enough data backing their claim.

 To begin with, it is important that you learn to eat slowly.  At first, this might be quite a challenge.  We have been conditioned to live in a fast food world.  We rush meals in order to have time to run to work and grab breakfast on the go.  Studies have shown that at least 10 minutes is required before the brain receives the message that the stomach is full.  This means that you could be eating long after you are actually satiated.  Your meal—whether it’s in the morning, afternoon, or evening—should last at least ten-fifteen minutes.  Train yourself to lengthen meals by resting your fork between courses, chewing slowly, and drinking plenty of water between courses.  By extending this period of time and hydrating yourself enough, you may discover that you weren’t really hungry after all.

  Another thing we need to work on is to stop revolving all our social interactions around food. I’ve got a group of best friends who I meet weekly, and it is harder to work on impulse control around food when our entire meeting is based on a meal. The same used to happen on date nights with my husband until I made a switch. I suggest trying to fit in movies, shopping trips, game nights, park walks, or coffee shops so we stop the culture of just meeting to eat. Otherwise, you could find yourself easily overindulging out of groupthink, and regular access to greasy and over-salted restaurant food. 

Abandon the idea that if you don’t eat everything offered at a house party or dinner, you’re offending the host. It is simply not true.  This means that you are overeating simply out of politeness.  Such a habit only serves to add unwanted pounds. This is a serious pandemic of its own India, I still struggle to convince worried hosts that I like them despite not eating much of their food.   Instead, I try to take tiny servings of some dishes that make me participate in this social norm but openly tell the hosts that I don’t eat certain things. This keeps my gut happy and keeps the hosts relieved and calm. Try it, you’ll be healthier and happier that way.

Here’s the one art of eating issue I personally struggle the most with: Eating without distractions. Ideal meals are alone or with family at a table, with food being the main focus. This prevents you from trying to engage in multitasking, such as Netflix and eat, work while you eat, read and eat. I’m going to be fully honest here- I’m guilty of all three. As a child, I used to carry a book to the dining table and be forever chided for my bad habit, but I refused to eat if Enid Blyton and her faraway tree weren’t accompanying the meal. As an adult, it’s been replaced with reruns of sitcoms like Friends or Modern Family or if having a busy day, It works with multiple chrome tabs and lunch. Trying to change this habit has been my biggest struggle and continues to be one. And I’m not alone. My husband eats dinner while playing games on his phone, with the TV running in the background, and constant work phone interruptions mid-bites. So we’re both in need of changing this habit. I’ve decided my meals need to be at the table, so I am forced to concentrate on the food at hand, focus on each bite and savor every morsel. 

And lastly, we need to remove the guilt around food. If you happen to overeat or overindulge, please don’t spend a great deal of time sulking or worrying about it. I’ve heard so many conversations where someone usually tries to “make up” for their last night’s food by going on a juice cleanse or working out like crazy.  Accept that you indulged and move on, your body won’t hold it against you. There are no good foods and bad foods, just find your balance. I’m in full support of weekly indulgences. However,  If you’ve veered off course and every day is now an indulgence, take corrective action and forget about it.  Otherwise, you could find yourself eating out of frustration or going off your regular entirely.  It’s better to sabotage a single meal than a lifetime’s worth of meals. And if you feel this is a pattern with you, binge eating disorders are serious mental health issues, you need to reach out for professional help and support.

I’ll be honest, you will be self-conscious at first as you attempt to change your eating habits. Friends will comment and joke if you say you ate and came to meet them. Relatives will get offended when you refuse to eat certain foods at family gatherings. And you will find sitting alone at a dinner table in silence, without screens and TV odd and crazy. But we need to realize that no one taught us the art of eating, so it will take some time to course correct them.  While it may seem an arduous task initially, it is well worth the effort. And you’ll be a better person for it. Your body will thank you, I promise.