Today, I picked two gallons of blueberries at our local patch, and man, do they taste good. This is the first of four posts on blueberries that I will be uploading over the next several days; today, we focus on mindfulness, tomorrow, on why and how you should pick your own berries, Friday, on the health benefits of blueberries, and Saturday, on how you should incorporate blueberries into your baking and cooking.
So, without further ado, an exercise in mindfulness: Have you ever taken the time to truly appreciate the blueberry, or do you just grab handfuls and pop them into your mouth? Next time you get the chance, follow these steps to become more mindful and appreciative of what you are eating. 1. Take one single blueberry and place it on a plain surface in front of you. 2. Look at the berry. Notice its texture. Appreciate its color gradient. How big is it? How many points are on its crown? Is it dry or is it wet? If it is wet, notice how the water is pooled on its spherical shape. Does it have any blemishes? 3. Place the berry in your hand and close your eyes. What does it feel like? Move the berry between your fingers and around the palm of your hand to sense its texture. Is it hard or soft? Does it feel fragile? Is it smooth? Does it have any wrinkles? Notice its weight. 4. Raise the berry to your nose. Do you smell anything? Does it smell sweet or sour? Does it smell fresh, or does it smell like chemicals? 5. Slice the berry cleanly in half with a sharp knife. Repeat steps 1-4. Additional questions to ask yourself include: How does the inside of the berry connect to the outside skin? What shapes do the color gradients form inside the berry? What new colors do you see? How are the seeds distributed? 6. Close your eyes, and place the berry in your mouth. Before you start chewing, appreciate its taste. Is it sweet or sour? Does the taste align with what you smelled earlier? Does the taste change over time from its initial state? Start to chew very slowly, appreciating how the textures and flavors change as you break down the berry. Notice how the juice might ooze or squirt from the berry. Listen to the sound of yourself chewing. 7. After about twenty seconds, mindfully swallow the berry. In the future, try to slow down when eating. Take the time to actually look at and taste your food. Among other things, mindful eating can help one overcome overeating, emotional eating, and stress eating. It forces us to slow down and give necessary attention and gratitude to food, a commodity that we often take for granted in first-world America because of its ubiquitousness. You can further appreciate the beauty and wonder of fresh produce when you eat slowly (honestly, do you not find yourself in awe every time you see the inside of okra?). I find eating with my fingers also helps me eat more mindfully. You can incorporate this practice into your life everyday with any kind of food, although it is easiest with simple foods. Enjoy.
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