I recently had dinner with my husband and youngest daughter, the previously mentioned 6 year old, at a quaint little Scottish/Irish restaurant. This was to be a semi-quiet little night out for the three of us. The waitress showed us to our table next to the large fire place and seated nearby were several large families, of course having dinner. The vibe was very relaxed and the lighting low so as to create an ambiance of what exactly, I wasn’t sure but I was digging it because I happened to be in a particularly happy and peaceful mood. We had just left a salon opening for a dear friend and I was still high on the vibe of celebrating the “women doing great things in the world” kind of emotion. The kind of emotion that makes you feel a ton of love and pride for a member of your “tribe” doing her thing.  Five minutes into being seated and still deciding between the Welsh Rarebit and Irish Potato Boxty, the smallest member of the group behind us let out a scream that could literally break glass!  Naturally, I jumped 5 ft in the air (did I mention I was all juiced up on peace and happiness?) and spun to look for who had just shot the poor kid! Turns out, there was no gunman and the child was fine. Why was he screaming, you may be asking? Well as the mother of 3 children, I can tell you firsthand, sometimes there is no good reason. I can also tell you that stress surrounding a meal can wreak havoc on digestion. There was also, to my dismay, to be a fair amount of stress throughout the meal because aforementioned child continued to scream, screech, caterwaul, etc throughout the entire meal! Despite the ambiance, despite my internal feelings of peace and happiness, and despite having dinner with loved ones, the meal was stressful. Not surprising, I felt a hell of a lot more tense after leaving the restaurant than I did upon entering, and suffered terrible indigestion the entire car ride home as a result! Never mind that I had something completely in line with my unique nutritional requirements. :-/

Which brings me to my point.  Family meal time is something that should be enjoyable. A meal in which we commune and communicate with each other about the day. We de-stress, de-compress, and celebrate the food we are about to enjoy, all while feeling and outwardly expressing, gratitude about the food- at least in many cultures.  From the mood, surrounding noise, lighting, and choice of dinner companion, it all plays a role in how well we digest and assimilate the nutrients in the food we eat.  I’m not suggesting we consume every meal at home, nor is that even feasible in our increasingly busy lifestyles, but you are, however, more in control of the total dining experience at home. So I’d like to encourage you to take part in a bit of an experiment.  For your next meal, whether dining alone or with friends/family, notice what’s going on around you. Take in the noise, smells, lighting, etc. and record it in a journal/notes on your phone.  Jot down how you felt before, during, and after consuming the meal. You may even try this a couple of times. Try mixing it up: say a blessing for the food on one occasion, or perhaps eat in a quiet setting, and on a separate occasion, try eating in a chaotic environment. Reflect on the differences and make connections to how you digest food and in what environments/circumstances make you feel particularly better or worse.  I know for me, I process and digest my food much better when in a calm setting, taking time to be appreciative of the food, and taking time to really enjoy what I’m eating and with whom I’m sharing it.

Screaming children can happen anywhere (did I mention I’m a mother of 3???) and during the most inopportune times. Get clear on what food is doing for you and how meals truly nourishes you. It’s about more than just food. Nourishment is about all the aspects of life that “nourish” us, and we’ll be covering so much more on this in posts to come! Oh and by the way, we chose the Welsh Rarebit!