How expressing gratitude before eating changes everything?

Greeting from Singapore where I've finally reunited with my family !

I haven't seen them for more than two years so I'm making the most of these precious moments.

I appreciate something that I may have taken for granted in a not so distant past.

Also by spending time with my little nephews and observing them, I learn a lot.

One of the things I've noticed about them is they usually stop eating when they're full.

I thought that when they'll be older, I'd love to teach them about gratitude and how to practice it at mealtimes.

I thought back to my own way of eating, the way I'd been brought up at school or at home: I was never taught to express my gratitude for the food on the table. Instead, I was taught to finish my plate, no matter if I was still hungry or not, because "it was bad to waste food".

I was also taught to eat because "it was time".

I used to eat out of habit, boredom.

This type of conditioning has made us forget how to listen to our body and eat when we're hungry and stop when we're full.

Throughout history, rituals of gratitude before consuming a meal have been practiced by people of all cultures and religions.

It is not a coincidence.

I've started doing this a few years ago and, as simple as it may seem, it' very potent.

Before a meal, I like to take a moment to put my hands above my dish, close my eyes and thank all the people who made this meal possible (Mother Earth, the farmer, the baker, the cook...)

Taking these few seconds before eating changes everything :

The food tastes better, I eat more slowly, I'm more aware of my level of satiety, I digest better.

It's also an easy way to introduce more gratitude into my daily life.

To inspire you, the Buddhist monk Thich Nhât Hanh offers the following contemplation before a meal:

1- This food is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky, the rain and the sun.
2- We thank everyone who made this food. Especially farmers, merchants and cooks.
3- We chew food slowly in order to savor it.
4- This food gives us energy to practice more love and compassion.
5- We eat this food in order to be healthy and happy, and to love each other as a family.


So, whether you're atheists, agnostics or believers, I invite you to observe if it's possible to leave some room for gratitude before your next meal.