The problem with a “working lunch”

On Thursday I met up with my good friend and boss babe, Nicole Jardim, for a morning of business brainstorming. We spent a few hours going through what was challenging both of us in our respective businesses (and honestly, our lives too… because who can be all biz all the time??). I ended up skipping breakfast because we met at a coffee shop and they didn’t have anything my body was craving in the moment.

After our session together, I felt awesome and inspired… but also behind. It was already 2PM and I hadn’t even opened up my email yet. Yikes.

I had a dilemma: do I take the time to go outside and eat my lunch that I packed, or do I order something from the coffee shop and get straight to work?

My instinct was to just power through i.e. have a “working lunch.”

I probably could have done just that and been okay. I would’ve gotten into my work sooner, and whatever I ordered for lunch probably would’ve just disappeared. It probably would have been fine.

But I know for me, and for so many of my clients and the people currently participating in The Chewing Challenge, this mindless eating often leads to other issues such as:

• Overeating later in the day
• Snacking throughout the afternoon and feeling totally lost when it comes to what you actually ate that day
• Troublesome digestive issues such a bloating, indigestion and a feeling of heaviness
• Confusion around which foods actually make us feel good and which make us feel meh

The problem is that this is the norm for so many meals for so many people.

If this happens to you, I want you to know that it’s not your fault: Nothing in our modern lives is fostering the way we are physically designed to eat. There’s no grace period for food or for digestion.

Back in the caveman days, eating was a ritual. There was preparation put into every feast and food was celebrated, blessed and given our full attention. Meals were celebrations and there was time after the food was finished for relaxing and digesting and appreciating the fruits of the tribe’s labor.

Clearly this is not how we eat any more, for better or for worse. Yes, most of us are fortunate enough to have plenty of food in our fridges, pantries and grocery stores, and we don’t go too long in between meals. We can choose if we want skim milk or soy milk or homemade almond milk in our coffee, whether we want to eat meat or not and which vegetable we prefer with tonight’s dinner. Food is available and we have many options when it comes to what we put in our body.

No matter what you choose to consume, the fact of the matter is that your body was not designed to eat while doing other things. You literally cannot digest your food if you’re digesting other things – like stress. Yes, stress can come in the form of an angry email from your boss or important impending deadline, but it can also just be the mode that you’re operating in for most of your day.

So what can you do? How can you eat more calmly and mindfully in a world that is anything but?

Even if you didn’t wake up in a cave or don’t have the time to make a ritual around every meal and snack, here are three tips anyone can practice to begin to eat more mindfully:

• Pick one meal to practice mindful eating – Pick one meal, or one day, to practice slowing down and focusing on just your food. Maybe Sundays you have more time and can practice “spiritual eating.” Even if you’re not religious, say a prayer or blessing before your meal and eat with zero distractions so that you can really appreciate the food in front of you. Just try it! I know when I do this I always end up eating less yet feeling way more satisfied after the meal.
• Acknowledge that this is something that you’re working on changing – Simply by reading this email you’ll likely notice your habits around mealtime more and subconsciously begin to shift them. Let this practice be something that you’re actively changing. That doesn’t mean you must light candles and chew every single bite of every meal mindfully, but it does mean that it’s something you’re choosing to work towards. Progress, not perfection, is the key here.
• Eat less, but more nutrient dense foods. When I focus on eating more nutrient dense, whole foods, I feel less of the urge to snack on sugary or salty foods. And no, I’m not talking about kale (although it’s great!) or the latest superfood; I’m talking about the deeply nourishing, primal foods that our ancestors prized.

So what do I mean by more nutrient dense foods and how can you put these “mindful eating” tips into practice in your home, office and life?

I’ve got A LOT to say on the matter and so it’s time to put my teaching hat on (plus I sooo need to hash out and reflect on this myself). Please join me this week for a *FREE* class:

Beyond Chewing: overcome your crazy pants social eating habits, know what to eat no matter your diet, and find your own intuitive food voice.

You will learn these exact tools:

• What foods you want really to be eating (and what they likely are and no this is not going to be another just cut out gluten and dairy convo). Spoiler alert: I’m going to be talking about a food you’ve probably never heard me recommend before.
• How to manage eating in social situations – out with the girls, big family meals, date night with your spouse, lunches ordered in at the office – we’re going to cover the good, the bad, and the ridiculousness of it all.
• What it means to be your own guru and how that can serve you in any scenario when it comes to food – eating in groups, endless cakes and cookies at the office, and having ZERO time to feed and nourish yourself the way you would like.
• And more (really I can be a bit of a revealing wild card during these calls!)

>>> Register for this FREE class here.  <<<

Can’t make any of the call times? Register anyways and we’ll send you the replay PLUS some additional insider info I won’t be gifting to anyone else. I’ll also be offering a *special* bonus guide just for those live on the call, so try to join us if you can!