A lot of us dread cooking and especially the clean-up that follows it. We tend to think of it as just one more thing to make time for in our already jam packed schedules.
I’m challenging you to re-frame meal preparation into a positive experience; to begin to be more mindful about the reasons why you’re preparing a meal.
What exactly is mindfulness? According to the Merriam-Webster definition mindfulness is “The practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”
I also love this definition about meal preparation that I found on Edible Omaha: “We can embrace a sense of responsibility as our actions take on a new meaning and value, inviting us to recognize the precious opportunity we have to care for ourselves and others with a sacred regard for food and its worthwhile preparation.”
I try to practice the act of being more mindful when I’m preparing meals. It’s not always easy though. Often I find my mind drifting to my to-do list like I’m sure many of you do.
Become More Mindful While Preparing Meals
• Think about how the meals you are preparing are nourishing the bodies you are feeding – our own, our families or our friends.
• Think about how very lucky we are in North America to have access to so many modern conveniences. We don’t have to start fires to cook over, walk miles for water, pluck our own chickens or grind our own flours!
• Now we have access to thousands of recipes from all over the world so make cooking a creative outlet or an art when you can, instead of a chore.
Let’s try paying more attention to our thoughts around meal preparation as we enter the new year.
Andrea Beazley Fubler, Registered Holistic Nutritionist
www.goodhealthgirl.com
