Mindful eating

We often eat in front of a screen, while working or thinking about something else. That's a meal lost, twice.

Mindful eating doesn't mean eating slowly or in religious silence. It means being there while you eat.

Notice the color, the texture, the smell of what you're eating. Really taste the first bite. Put your fork down between bites and notice how the flavors evolve.

Brian Wansink, an eating-behavior researcher at Cornell, showed that eating distractedly leads to consuming about 50% more calories on average. Not because the food changes, but because awareness changes.

But beyond weight, there's something simpler: a meal is an experience. Being there while it happens is living rather than surviving.