Have you ever spent hours cooking up a delicious meal only to find yourself scarfing it down in a matter of minutes? Researchers have estimated that as much as 30-40% of our digestive response to a meal is due to the Cephalic Phase Digestive Response or CPDR.

So what exactly is CPDR and why is it important? CPDR simply put means that the thought, sight and smell of food stimulates gastric secretion to prepare for digestion of food even before you have taken your first bite and that much of the pleasure of eating is derived from this anticipation.

The way your brain works is that it must experience this pleasure and satisfaction from the thought of food even before eating in order to signal to your body to stimulate digestive juices.

BUT if you eat too fast or absentmindedly, your brain will interpret this unsatisfying experience with hunger. So even if you’ve just wolfed down a giant meal, you may still feel hungry!

So no more shoving fork-loads of unidentifiable mounds into your mouth while binge watching Netflix or eating yesterday’s lousy leftovers while scrolling Instagram. The point is to give your undivided attention to the food on your plate and you will be amazed at the results! 

So what will eating sensually actually do for me? Basically, the more AWARENESS and PRESENCE you bring to each meal, the LESS you’ll need to eat. AND the less AWARENESS and PRESENCE you bring to each meal, the MORE you’ll need to eat.

For example: If you’re so busy gobbling down chips that by the time you get to the crumbs at the bottom of the bag you can’t even remember what flavor they were, then you’re foregoing 30-40% of your digestive power, decreasing nutrient absorption and slowing down your metabolism. Plus because of CPDR your brain still WANTS to eat because it craves the full sensual experience of eating. So if you aren’t engaging CDPR, the brain registers HUNGER, saying “Wait! I didn’t eat! I want more!”— even if you’ve eaten an entire bag of chips!

How do I eat sensually?

1. Sight: Savor the colors of your food, the beauty of what’s come from the earth, the rain and the sun.
2. Smell: Bring the food up to your nose as if you’ve never smelled it before and inhale.
3. Touch: What’s the texture of your food? Of your utensils? Of the napkin on your lap?
4. Environment: What environment are you creating for yourself when you eat? Candles or fluorescent light? Special china or paper plates? A crystal goblet or plastic cup?
5. Texture: Chew your food about 30 times per bite and notice the texture of the food...let yourself breathe while chewing.
6. Pamper Yourself: You may be wondering who are you to pamper yourself? And I ask you: who are you NOT to pamper yourself? So buy that special ingredient to make your meal extra tasty like truffle oil to spruce up your salad or high quality dark chocolate for dessert!

What do I do now?
In my health coaching practice, I help my clients identify their favorite ways to implement sensual eating daily! If you think you may be one of those people who has been shoving down food just to feel full and want to get more pleasure out of eating, then click here now to schedule a time to talk with me today.