In my family, we have a tradition.
That tradition is to say Grace before a meal.
Grace is a form of prayer. Typically, the person saying it will thank God for good fortune, send wishes to distant or deceased relatives, and ask for a blessing.
This ritual can be traced back through the centuries, and in fact, you find similar customs in various cultures and faiths all over the world.
Not sure how we humans first adopted it (in the Catholic faith, Jesus would have taught it to his disciples), but apart from demonstrating piety, saying Grace does another important job…
It prepares our bodies to receive nourishment.
The act of pausing, and conjuring feelings of gratitude enhances absorption of nutrients.
Too often in today’s world we eat on the run. It’s a constant battle against time of how many forkfuls you can inhale before your next meeting or appointment. Sometimes, we’re revved up about an earlier conversation or anxiously checking emails while we’re at it.
Lookey here…
Eating too fast, or eating while stressed can HARM your digestion.
Go old school. Take a time-out to STOP and appreciate your food before you eat it. It doesn’t have to be religious in any way if that’s not your bag. Just count your blessings. Remember how lucky you are to have clean, safe food to eat.
Then, every few bites put your fork down for a minute.
It’ll remind you to slow down and stay in the present moment.
Chew slowly.
Savour.
This one habit of being mindful while eating can transform your relationship to food.
It’ll boost your metabolism.
You’ll eat less.
And you’ll benefit more from the life-giving and energy-sustaining properties of your meal.
What more can I say? Oh yeah…
Amen.
Happy Gratitude,
Conor Kelly
conorkelly.com
What a perfect reminder to slow down and have gratitude- connected to Thanksgiving here in the U.S. Conor in a recent post you stressed egg whites – recent scientific literature explains the “incredible egg yolk” and how beneficial the type of fat in the yolk is to the heart and brain health. Your thoughts
I suggest adding a little egg white if it helps with reaching a protein goal for that meal. I do eat whole eggs and also recommend them, but I think it’s prudent to watch the total grams of fat consumed, therefore wouldn’t suggest attempting to get 20 grams of protein from whole eggs, as this would require 5-6 whole eggs. In my view, that quantity of fats would offset the health benefits. Hope that helps!