Your kinsho, the new awareness and flashes of insight that will come to you when you pay more attention around food, will be uniquely personal. Your calm curiosity will help you go beyond assumptions to uncover truths about preferences, urges, or perhaps where areas of resistance stem from. You can then start to change your behavior with considerable ease because you are following a deep, true knowing.
Some kinsho may be highly specific, like you really prefer crunchy over smooth peanut butter because the extra chewing is more satisfying to consume. (And perhaps you begin to notice that you enjoy crunchiness in most of what you eat and start evolving how you compose pasta, sandwiches and other meals…)
Other kinsho will include “ah ha” moments of broad understanding, like perhaps you serve portions at dinner based on the visual amount that your mother served your father and older siblings and that you are actually satisfied with ½ of that amount. Or maybe that you are always eat a big cookie after lunch because your simple salad doesn’t fill you up with enough, and you can try switching up your ingredients or entire meal to see how your satisfaction factor adjusts.
The insights may range from subtle to surprisingly obvious. And they will be about more than food preference because our connection to our food reflects our connection with ourselves.
Prepare for a tasty, enlightening journey!
for example…
Below are some examples of kinsho benefits discovered by our founder.
“Once I made this shift to a more mindful state of being, I noticed changes that brought surprising but pleasant results: I have more time, joy, space for kindness, and more money in my pocket. I have less anxiety, and I dropped excess weight.
I saved time by reshaping my attitude and approach to planning meals and shopping, by using digital technology to support my needs, and by developing a conscious relationship with my phone, email inbox, and social media accounts. I stopped compulsively checking all digital channels, which has given me at least 50 hours back daily. Okay, maybe not 50, but it feels like 50!
The joy I experience during mealtimes has increased because I am aware of, and consciously appreciate, my surroundings and actually taste my food, even on those rare occasions when I eat with my phone nearby. It’s still a process, and it’s important to recognize that life happens, and we won’t always be 100 percent present.
As I became more aware of the food I was eating and its various tastes and textures, I developed new preferences in coffee, water, lettuce, apples, chocolate, and pizza. And, I can now tell you exactly how large my portion sizes need to be to feel satisfied, not stuffed. I have also identified a few foods that don’t suit me anymore.
More joy led to more space for kindness in my heart and, hence, my meals. When I slowed down what was going on in my head, there was an immediate opening of my heart. Increased kindness to myself translated to more kindness to my family. I say yes more: to a cup of tea and piece of cake at 4:00 p.m., to my son’s request to make Play-Doh fantasy worlds on the kitchen floor while I’m cooking, to eating breakfast as a picnic in front of the fireplace on cold winter days. The kindness and openheartedness replaced some habitual resistance and inner criticizing. Now we have more togetherness and less irritation.
I lost the anxiety I used to feel when preparing meals. The sometimes grumpy predinner behavior of my family did not change—I did. And my approach to serving meals has evolved along the way. As it has changed, my son’s attitude has too. He seems to complain less, and as any mom can tell you, that’s a big stress relief.
Now that I’m better in touch with my feelings and sense of hunger and satisfaction, I’ve switched up how much and when I eat. I also switched my fitness practice because I’m more aware of what works best for me given my constraints. I dropped some weight and feel at ease, happy.”
– excerpt from the book “Mind to Mouth: A Busy Chick’s Guide to Mindful Mealtime Moments”
