AN EXERCISE TO HELP YOU EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIMPLY EATING & ENJOYING FOOD TO ITS FULLEST
You eat every day. But are you enjoying what you are eating? Do you taste the flavor to its fullness? Do you appreciate the aroma and texture? Here is a little exercise using one of our favorite foods – CHOCOLATE – to help you experience the difference between eating and enjoying food.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
This game is appropriate for those metabolic balance clients who are beyond the strict phase.
• 2-3 pieces (approx. 10-20g) of dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa content)
• A glass of water.
• Remember to eat a bite or two of protein before starting the game.
INSTRUCTIONS
Take a single piece of chocolate. Smell it – just enjoy a little sniff.
Smelling the chocolate is a really intense pleasure. Yet how often do adults allow themselves this pleasure – even when they themselves admit that they are crazy about chocolate?
DO YOU NORMALLY SMELL THE CHOCOLATE BEFORE YOU EAT IT?
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Tip: If it is just the aroma of the chocolate, which attracts you, then next time you go shopping buy some cocoa – cocoa that needs to be cooked, not an instant cocoa drink. Have you ever tried this kind of cocoa? You will probably enjoy preparing it, especially when that chocolate aroma fills the kitchen. Drinking warm rich chocolate is an additional pleasure. |
Moisten your lips and rub the chocolate softly over them. Most of us are out of the habit of doing this too. Children love to rub chocolate over their lips, face and hands, and then they usually get told not to »smear it about«, and to eat it properly.
WHAT EFFECT DOES THE CHOCOLATE HAVE ON YOUR LIPS?
Creamy, smooth, cool, sweet?
Now lick your lips to get a first taste impression and to get a foretaste. Normally we are only aware of the aftertaste on our lips.
How does such a taste precursor compare with the full taste when actually eating it?
A piece of chocolate is basically quite small. But just bite off half of it. Don‘t start to chew, simply hold this half in the front part of your mouth. Hold the chocolate there until it becomes so warm that it melts.
Push this tiny piece into your left cheek. Make sure at all times that you don‘t swallow it. Now transfer it to your right cheek. What kind of sensations or feelings are you aware of? Many people think the chocolate feels velvety; others describe it as sticky, mushy, chewy, creamy, filling, nutritious and rich.
HOW DID YOU FIND IT?
Keep trying not to bite the piece, but push it between your front teeth and your top lip. Move it about with your tongue until the chocolate covers your teeth.
If there is any chocolate left, try to do the same with your lower teeth. You might need another piece, if the first has disintegrated. If there is any left, move it about between your lower lip and your teeth until there is none left. Now let your tongue retrace the route of the chocolate, back to every place it came into contact with, explore every trace left behind. Be aware of every sensation that you experience when you investigate the different areas.
How is it in your cheek, between your teeth, on your gums? How does it feel when your tongue glides over the edges of your teeth? Are these pleasant experiences, sensations and feelings?
NEXT PIECE
Simply hold the next piece in your hand and lick around its corners; enjoy the chocolate‘s special texture. Then smell it again. Many people think it smells strange after it’s been licked; yet it may also bring back happy memories of visits to the sweet shop or grandma‘s kitchen.
Now put the small piece into your mouth, under your tongue – and let it melt slowly. Compare this experience with the previous ones.
When the chocolate is soft enough, press it against your palate until it becomes a soft pulp. Now move this pulp to your favorite spots – the places where during the first part of this exercise you enjoyed the chocolate the most. Close your eyes and enjoy the chocolate‘s message, let the piece dissolve completely.
Take a drink of water and slowly rinse out your mouth in order to free your palate again. The next piece of chocolate will not be treated so gently and carefully.
LAST PIECE
Push a whole bar into your mouth and eat it as quickly as you possibly can. How did it go this time? What was different? The next time you eat chocolate, how will you want to eat it after this experience?
SOURCE
This is one of the exercises that is part of the metabolic balance® program.
You can find out more about the metabolic balance® program I teach at MetabolicBalanceCalifornia.com. With metabolic balance® it is more about how good you feel than anything else. Metabolic balance® has individualized programs for weight loss, weight gain, weight maintenance & get healthy, and a special program for athletes. Contact Myra if you are interested in joining.
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Copyright © 2012 – , Myra Nissen.
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This article was brought to you by Myra Nissen, CCH, RSHom(NA), Board Certified Classical Homeopath. Myra teaches women how to recognize their body’s unique needs and cues and uses Homeopathy to help empower women to take control of their bodies, health and well-being. Find out more, visit her blog www.myranissen.com/blog.