Eating in Front of a Screen?

Are you eating in front of a screen right now? Snacking perhaps?

If so, this post is just for you!

I don’t know a single person –myself included- who doesn’t eat in front of a screen sometimes, whether it’s having lunch in our work station, eating while scrolling on a mobile device, or snacking on the couch in front of the TV.

If you’re like me and spend most of your day working on a computer, I’m pretty sure you often find yourself eating or snacking in your work station.

Lucky (or unlucky) for me, my desk is so teensy, there’s no real room for a plate there, which is why I put my food on my to-do list, right beside my computer... Oops, I’m not sure I’m teaching you good habits right now… and I dread to think what’s inside my keyboard with all those crumbs falling into it.

But our post today is not about the unhygienic nature of eating in front of a screen, or the damage to the screen from food spilling onto it and sticky fingers staining it. Nor is it about the importance of taking a break from the screen from time to time, for the sake of our eyes, our brains, and our entire body (which also applies to those carrying a cell phone on them throughout the day, even if they don’t use it).

My point today is the mindlessness of eating in front of a screen. I’ll explain.

When we eat while staring at a screen we don’t pay much attention to our food. We’re kind of absent minded and not fully present in the act of eating. In a way, we miss out on fully appreciating our food, its flavor, color, aroma, texture, and temperature.

Worse, we don’t really pay attention to subtle signals from our body (telling us to stop eating, for example). It’s almost like our sense of satiety is numbed because our attention is directed outside, to what’s happening on the screen, rather than inside.

Mindless eating may result in eating more than needed, or in not chewing well enough, or even in biting into something hard like a pit or a bone. Ouch.

Over time that might result in indigestion, weight gain, or unnecessary trips to the dentist.

Perhaps we should pay more attention to our food.

Perhaps too, we should listen more carefully to the soft messages our body is sending us. Are we attentive enough to notice them?

After deliberating for a while, I’ve decided that my new year’s resolution is to have my lunch on the dining table rather than in my work station, away from any kind of screen, including putting my cell away for that time, not anywhere too close to me.

We’re well into January, and so far I’ve stuck with it. I really enjoy my breaks from the screen, and I think my screen enjoys it too, because it doesn’t get splashed on that often anymore.

Wishing you a wonderful, most delightful weekend,

Didi
Wise Choice Market

Images:
https://comps.canstockphoto.com/cartoon-of-man-sitting-in-front-of-vector-clip-art_csp45383014.jpg