Food is an irreplaceable part of our lives. Without it, we would not live. In most cases, when we have a full plate in front of us, we think about how delicious it looks and then immediately start eating. For others, they have a tradition of saying a prayer before eating. But why is there a prayer before eating?
Those who are religious will say that the prayer is in thankfulness because it is only by the grace of a higher power that we get to eat regularly. Some people are starving in this world. Others will say the prayer is to bless the food so that it attains some kind of beneficial property that it did not have before the blessing. Yet others will say that it is both.
Is it possible that spiritually attuned people did perceive a difference in food that that is prayed over than food that was not? I think this could be the case. In my own experience, I have said a prayer before eating and the most significant thing that I noticed was that in taking this extra brief moment before eating, there was a shift in my own energy.
In order to say the prayer with meaning and sincerity, I had to change my breathing, relax, think about the divine, feel humble, thankful, and glad. Even though it happens in less than 30 seconds, it is still a shift in my physiology. It brings me to the present moment and to be fully engaged with the meal. I think this makes for a more enjoyable culinary experience. Way better than distractedly chewing while looking at a phone screen.
I’ve taken this interaction even further. On occasion when I am cooking, I try to maintain a state of high thoughts. It’s similar to that feeling after a good yoga and meditation session. I just keep that good mood of open and relaxed feeling going. I’ll throw some positive thoughts in with the spices as I stir the pot. In my opinion, the food always tastes so much better when prepared that way and I don’t think I’m imagining things. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from others when I’ve prepared a meal in this way.
What about where the food came from? It either grows on trees or was an animal once. Can the way we treat our plants and animals affect the flavor and nutrition of our meals? Absolutely. We already know animals that are humanely raised are healthier for the people that consume them than factory raised meat. That’s been proven in a number of ways. And plants raised in a family garden are tastier by far than those that are massed produced.
It turns out that if we interact mindfully with our food every step of the way from growing, harvesting, and preparation, right through to the eating of the meal there are multiple benefits for us on every level. Our emotions are joyful and guilt-free, our bodies are nourished, our minds are brought to the present moment and our spirit is bright with its relationship to nature, the give and take cycle that simply flows as it was meant to.
Food is a subject of angst for so many people. But if we could truly understand the opportunity food gives us to foster our conscious awareness we would change our whole attitude towards it.
Perhaps it starts with a heartfelt prayer before taking that first bite. Even if we don’t grow what’s on our plate, we can still take a moment to breathe and recognize the divine cycle we take part in. Whether we remember or not, we are still part of it.
It is a beautiful energetic gift to ourselves. We prepare the meal lovingly, pray over it before eating, and in turn the food nourishes our bodies and our spirits. I would argue the nourishment of the spirit is a nutritional value and should not be discounted just because we haven’t given it a name like vitamin or protein. Right now we call it something like energy, though that is a vague and general term. Still there is that property is an important component to food. Through our prayers we can add a value to the meal that is very beneficial to our well-being.
In a world full of negativity and despair, we need all the help we can get. Awareness and prayer is free and available to everyone. All it takes to access this benefit is sincerity and remembering to do it. There are no harmful side effects. So maybe we should revisit this age old tradition and say a prayer before we dig in. Our spirits will feel good for doing so.
