With the holidays upon us, there are sure to be many opportunities to share wonderful foods with the little ones in our lives. A playful and engaging activity to explore together can be a pause for Mindful Eating. When we are mindful, we are paying attention to experiences with all of our senses, on purpose, with curious interest and care. Here is a 5-minute practice you can try with some favorite festive treats.
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1. Decide what food you might like to explore. It could be a fruit or a veggie, a pretzel or a cracker, or maybe a delightful praline (as featured in the new release, Praline Lady by Kirstie Myvett). Anything goes!
2. First, let’s explore this snack using the sense of SIGHT. What does it look like? Use all the descriptive words you might find. 
3. Next, let’s explore with TOUCH. Hold it in your hand. Is it light? Is it heavy? Is it soft? Is it hard? What textures do you feel with your skin?
4. Now comes HEARING. Does your snack make a sound? Hold it to your ear. Is it talking to you? Does it make a noise when you gently shake it in your hand or squeeze it? Maybe you have to unwrap this treat. Does its wrapper make noises as you remove it? 
5. How about SMELL?  Gently hold your treat to your nose, and notice if it has a smell. Is it a pleasant smell? Is it a smell you do not like? Hmmm, does the smell make your mouth water? 
6. We’ve looked. We touched. We listened and smelled. Finally we get to TASTE. Take a small bite of your snack. Before you chew, get curious. Notice what the snack feels like inside your mouth. Do you detect a taste even before you chew?  Now bite into your treat, and chew slowly. Notice all the textures and flavors in your mouth. Does the taste change as you chew? 
7. When you are ready, let yourself swallow your snack. See how far you can follow its sensations, maybe even down to your belly. Notice how you feel now. 
8. We have used all five of our senses, and we can still use even more. We can use the 6th sense of our heart and mind.  Take a moment to notice what memories this snack reminds you of. Can you invite some gratitude in your heart for this food and the hands that prepared it? What does that feel like?
9. If you have another bite or a different snack, is the experience the same? What are the ways it is different? What does it feel like to slow down and share a snack in this way?

There are so many ways to explore! Have fun with this, and notice what you uncover together. We can’t wait to hear all about it!

by Rashmi Bismark, MD, MPH, Mindfulness educator and author of Finding Om