I've heard of mindful eating where you take time to appreciate what you're eating mouth full by mouth full, savouring the textures of the food, the smells and flavours.
Now we have mindful cooking and its really good for our well-being.
Here are a few healthy things that it helps with......
Anxiety and Stress
Cooking is immersive, all our senses are stimulated simultaneously from texture, to taste, to sound, temperature, visual cues and of course the aromas. By distracting us from what's going on in our heads, all those intrusive thoughts, it creates a much needed pause. We have to focus on what's at hand, this shifts out mindset. Because cooking requires following a recipe, it reminds us of the importance of taking tasks step by strep, breaking big things into smaller manageable parts.
Self-care.
Mindful cooking is an easy way to schedule in some very essential self care because we all need to eat. We can block out some alone time in the kitchen, perhaps experiment with a new technique, receipe or make a meal, with a loved one, connect over a shared activity.
Develop self confidence
Following a recipe or mastering a new technique is an art. Taste isn't objective, its deeply linked to out personal memories and early childhood experiences. It helps you develop an awareness of your palate and to have the confidence to express it. Cooking is a great opportunity to be creative on a daily basis, to use our instincts to judge when something is done, to be attentive with the ingredients we use, it helps with problem solving. Gives you confidence about knowing what's right and what's wrong and when to improvise in the kitchen. All of these skills you can apply to problem solving and being creative in other areas of your life.
let's get cooking, slice dice and enjoy.......