Food for Mood: Eat Pretty x FP, Week 2

Second in a 4-part series about food and mindfulness by Jolene Hart, health coach and author of Eat Pretty.

The goal of mindful eating is to be present, relish the amazing, delicious, nourishing food you’re eating, and optimize the way your body receives those nutrients with a goal of building your most beautiful self. This week, transform a routine moment — the kind that tends to play out automatically, without thinking — into a fully focused, mindful ritual that lets you stop and reflect. This could be done while prepping a favorite meal, diving into a snack on the go, or simply rehydrating your body with a tall glass of water or cup of tea. Brewing a cup of tea can be as mindless as microwaving a mug of water and plopping in a tea bag. Or it can be a sensory experience, one that carves out time for you to pause, reflect, check in with your body and reset.

Follow these 5 steps to turn your next cup of tea into a mind-body beauty moment:

1. Boil water. While you’re waiting, don’t check your phone or run over your to-do list in your head. Be in the moment — just make tea. Take a few deep inhales and exhales (that extra oxygen and thorough detoxification through your released breath is amazing for your skin!).

2. Prep your cup. You’ve now shifted from multi-tasking to a single task. Choose your cup and carefully spoon out your tea into a strainer (tea bags are fine, too), taking time to notice its detail. Those dried-up little leaves are packed with antioxidants that are about to benefit your skin long-term.

3. Steep the tea. Pour water over the tea leaves and start anticipating. Watch the steam rise, and fit in a few more deep breaths.

4. Adjust it your way. Add some raw honey? A spoonful of skin-nourishing tocos? A squeeze of detoxifying lemon? Matching flavors to your mood and your needs is another way of mindfully checking in with your body before you sit down to eat or drink.

5. Sip. In a few minutes, you’ll doubtlessly  be busy again. But right now, you’re enjoying tea in a totally different way. Your body is in parasympathetic rest-and-digest mode, an anti-aging, beautifying state that assures your body and mind that all is well.

tea 3

Text, images and recipes © Jolene Hart. All rights reserved.

Jolene Hart, CHC, AADP is a Philadelphia-based health coach and founder of Beauty Is Wellness, a natural beauty and health coaching practice. Her coaching and Eat Pretty book series teaches women to use nutrition and lifestyle choices to look and feel their best from the inside out.  

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Ev
7 years ago
7 years ago

Love this! The idea of really thinking about making tea and enjoying it is something I really need to practice :)

Alice | Whiskey Jars Blog

7 years ago

I really love this! I think mindfulness is so important, especially when it comes to eating. I’m definitely going to start practicing this routine!

-Helen
http://www.sweethelengrace.com

7 years ago

Thanks :)

7 years ago

I love this because it’s a reminder of just how powerful our minds are. It’s as if our positive thoughts about the tea are more healing for our bodies than the tea itself ♥