“Conscious eating can make us aware of our own actions, thoughts, feelings and motivations”…  Thierry Hergueta is sociologist and one of the great French specialists in mindfulness.. He explains to us the method to eat in full consciousness and how to take the time to observe and enjoy the meal, while slowing down the pace. Mindfulness is really interesting for pleasure as well as for health. So, Parisian! 


\"Eating

Sophie: What does it mean for you eating well ?

Eating well means taking your time, it means being in a pleasant environment. Eating well is often the quality of the presentation, it is a certain refinement. Eating well also means having personal addresses, \"canteens\" where you always go and where you have habits: find a certain standard, a service, etc. Eating well is also eating well at home and in Paris by going to the markets to do your shopping, because eating well is thinking about making yourself eat not necessarily always in restaurants! And in Paris you can find quality products from all countries so you can eat well in Paris.

\"SansSophie: But… Many people eat quickly without realizing all this...

Yes… A beautiful plate allows you to use all your senses during a tasting, smell, sight, taste, touch with the texture on your tongue... how do you appreciate all this? 

Mindfulness eating ! It\'s full consciousness, it\'s tasting a dish in full consciousness. In fact, mindfulness and taking the time to feel things. And it is with the five senses that this is done. This requires a certain focus, which I will talk about later.

Sophie: So how do you eat \"in full consciousness 

In front of the plate, we will first contact the feeling of hunger again and simply wait until we are hungry to eat. You can start by drinking a big glass of water, perhaps because you are thirsty, but also because you often confuse thirst with hunger. And then take the opportunity to make a small \"indoor weather\" point: what is the emotion that takes over? Before you satisfy him by rushing to his meal! Come on, it\'s time to start cooking!

With the ladle in hand, you will assess how much food you think you need to reach satiety and slide the serving onto a plate. The idea is to eat less and enjoy more. Because know it, it is the first bite of a dish that gives you the most pleasure.

Sophie: But can we do this mindfulness all the time?\"mindful-eating-2048x800\"

No of course, for example at a business lunch we should be focused on the discussion and not on the plate. So we don\'t have this availability to focus on tasting, pleasure, impressions and emotions. Personally when I am focused on the conversation of a business meeting it can happen to me that at the end of the meal I don\'t remember what I ate because my attention is on the content of the conversation and not on my plate. But we will also forget everything around the plate, the atmosphere of the restaurant, the smells, the lighting, etc. That\'s what it means to be focused on something. 

Sophie: So … can you tell us about the method to adopt to be fully consciousness in front of the plate?

It starts when you arrive at the restaurant and observe the setting. In recent years all the restaurants in Paris have been redone, so you have to observe the decoration, appreciate and judge and that is already a starter, it is the beginning of concentration. Then you have to smell the smell of the place, often there are artificial candles or an ambient perfume but not necessarily, so you have to concentrate on the smell of the place, if it smells like meat, if it smells like fish, herbs, wood... Then, you must also observe the space, the place where you will settle down, look at the seat and choose your body position to be comfortably seated while respecting the rules of good living and the rules of life in society. Then we also observe the noise, many restaurants have background music that can divert attention away from the focus. We observe the light which is very important, dimmed or strong. In fact, you have to concentrate so you don\'t get distracted.

 Sophie: You told me before that the body posture is very important why ?

Poorly seated, you can distract yourself from the focus by a position that you will change after a few minutes... Then it is to know how to look at the map to observe it to read it completely or to read it in large part before deciding to be able to make evaluations our desires. 

\"boire-vin-femme\"Sophie: Once installed properly, what should be done?

It is time to look at the menu, the titles of the dishes (today there is a lot of effort made on the name of the dishes, it is more sought after we try to create emotions with the descriptions! We no longer call a steak frites, steak frites but we will say for example \"meat from the butcher on his bed of vegetables\". So, the first step to take once you get settled in is to taste the menu to create emotions and desires, it\'s always very interesting. I love watching the cards read and immerse myself in the menu. 

Sophie: Some menus are very appetizing, you want to eat everything and sometimes the choice is extremely Limited or the name of the  dishes is not very interesting ! 

YES… The important question at this stage is to balance the meal and ask yourself the question \"am I hungry\", \"do I want to eat a main course, or a small starter and dessert\", \"want originality or dishes already appreciated\". So try to assess your desire and appetite in relation to the card. The question is really \"what I want right now\". \"Do I want something light or do I want to make a real hearty meal because I didn\'t have lunch at lunch? All these questions we ask ourselves that are part of mindfulness. In fact, being very close to your real desires and connecting with yourself. 

Sophie: Maybe mindfulness begin when you choose a restaurant ?

Yes, the initial question would be \"where do I want to go to dinner tonight\", \"what do I want to eat tonight, a restaurant not too noisy because I\'m tired, a more intimate restaurant, or on the contrary, I\'ve been locked up all day in my office tonight I want to see the life of the people who are happy who eat and drink, I want to be surrounded, I go to a noisier place or there is more animation\".... \"I want to be on the terrace where I want to be inside\"... \"a restaurant I\'m not going to eat meat or discover a new chef.\" All these questions make one responsible for one\'s choice and open the desire and awakening, it is already a beginning of full consciousness.

Sophie: Okay, let\'s go back to the menu, what do we do? 

So we choose the dishes according to our real desires. And then comes the choice of wines \"do I want to drink wine or not, I want white or red, water, tea...\". In fact, things must not be reflexes, we must ask ourselves questions and satisfy with the most precision the desires with the choices.

Sophie: So when does the plate arrive, what should we do?

When the plate already arrives, we stop talking and observe. 

Sophie: Hard to remember doing all this! 

Distraction is the most difficult because when the food arrives we are in the middle of a conversation so it is difficult to pick up and concentrate on the plate! 

Sophie: So going back to our plate  it arrives it is in front of our eyes what should we do?

We make a stop by saying \"I intend to observe my plate so stop\". We stop talking, we stop listening, we stop laughing, we stop looking at the restaurant, we focus on the plate and a STOP !

STOP is a simple and easy method to use tool to fight against attitudes and reactions in self-pilot.

S = Stop, allow yourself not to react immediately and rather to think, at least for a few seconds

T = Turn your attention to your breathing, at least for the time of inhalation and exhalation

O = Observe your experience: notice your body sensations, thoughts and emotions; it is at this moment that we will use the five senses in front of the plate. 

P = Proceed or not. It means continuing to eat with great care, observing the different textures, the colors of the plate, the tastes, etc.: \"Do I continue on this line or do I resume my conversation\"... the poor plate is forgotten and we are no longer in full consciousness.  \"To continue\" can also mean \"I want to be in full consciousness all the time during my tasting to identify the ingredients, the aromas, the herbs and all the nuances that are on my plate\". 

Sophie: But should we inform the person we are dining with about our focus?

We can also share mindfulness with the other by asking the question \"what do you think about your meal\" in order to share the focus. 

Anyway, it\'s good to give a sign to the other person to make him understand that you need a little time for your tasting focus, it can be a short sentence so that the person understands what\'s going to happen and that he too can be invited to appreciate his plate in the same way it can be a way to initiate him. 

Sophie: ok, let\'s go back to our plate...

So you have to look at the colors, the presentation, when it comes to a soup there is always a smell so you have to smell (even if it is at a distance and do it discreetly). There are also the textures that are incredible. Many chefs enjoy working on the textures they put on the plate! So in concentration and mindfulness it is also necessary to observe the different materials and textures of food visually but also under the tongue. It\'s fun to do, by the way! 

And when you start to observe all this.... it\'s really interesting because you can think of the cooks, the chefs who before starting to cook the dish, he thought of all these details of texture and taste that go together. Besides the respect for the chef\'s work, it\'s incredibly interesting. At this stage we reach the tasting of tastes, those that are obvious and others that are more subtle and hidden. It is sometimes by crunching a food on the plate that you discover a hidden flavor. Tasting a plate is a very interesting job to do as if it were a great wine.

Sophie: And how do young people react to all this?

For a certain generation it is a difficult focus work but I am struck by the young people. I have two children who are between 20 and 30 years old it\'s amazing how interested they are in food and ingredients, recipes, etc... they are more interested in quality and their pleasure, they do competitions between young people they meet each other at each other\'s homes to cook they like it. And then the notion of health is also fundamental for them, they attach importance to the quality/health duo.

Sophie: What if … during the day, we have a little craving for a snack?\"mindful-eating\"

The question is, \"what are you hungry for?\" Does my body need energy to continue my work day? Do I have a \"morale blow\", do I want a chocolate cake, candy... In short, to be comforted? Or, am I really hungry? And if so, then listen to yourself and force yourself to sit down and eat it slowly and enjoy it. 

Sophie: Any last advice about \"eating in full consciousness ?

Have lunch in peace! No radio, no TV, no computer, no newspapers. Once in a while, at home, or on a bench, in a park, have lunch alone as if you had an appointment with yourself, listening to your feelings. You will be able to take the time to look, smell and enjoy your meal and above all, to slow down your pace. Take the time to chew and place your cutlery between each bite.

To resume: I eat in Full consciousness when I do my best to:

•Be fully present at my meal.

•Focus on food by observing colors, smells, tastes &texture.

•Listen to all my body sensations. 

•Be attentive to my mind: what are the thoughts that cross my mind?  

•Watch out for distractions: reply to an email, turn on the TV, watch Instagram....

•Be aware that my emotions play an important role in my diet. What does it mean to \"have a noted stomach\" or to feel iris table cravings to snack endlessly and endlessly

•Be vigilant on food choices that will respect my health, my pleasure and whose ecological foot print will be lighter: favor products of plant, local and seasonal origin.

•Be grateful to nature and all those who made this meal possible, from gardener to cook!

 

Ma perché allora vediamo così spesso delle parigine sulle terrazze dei caffè, davanti a un bicchiere di acqua Perrier guarnito da una rondella di limone, o andare in ufficio con una bottiglia di acqua minerale che spunta dall’it-bag? E poi a casa, è tutto in trionfo di tisane e di tè, detox e no…


Chi meglio della mia amica Émilie può parlarci dell’acqua e delle parigine? Lei, che è cresciuta in Provenza, tra una nonna creatrice di profumi e una madre naturopata. È diventata parigina da quando è arrivata nella capitale per studiare giornalismo medico: è qui che ha scoperto un universo stressante ma eccitante, segnato spesso, però, da un’assenza dell’elemento “natura”. Ha iniziato a divulgare, nella cerchia degli amici e fra i suoi lettori, dei segreti sulla salute, partendo dall’idea che il nostro corpo è una delle migliori risorse che abbiamo, perciò bisogna coccolarlo e pensare a lui…

\"young-woman-enjoying-a-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning\"“Ma sì, l’acqua è così importante, perché senz’acqua non c’è vita, e la nostra vita sboccia nell’acqua… nel grembo materno. Il nostro corpo contiene circa il 60% di acqua, acqua che svolge tanti compiti. Trasporta i globuli bianchi e quelli rossi, e costituisce l’anima delle nostre cellule, ci consente di depurare l’organismo, eliminando le tossine attraverso le urine, ecc. …

Quindi, abbiamo il compito di rinnovare quest’acqua così importante per il nostro corpo  e questo le parigine lo sanno bene! Bisogna berne almeno 1 litro e mezzo al giorno. L’acqua non fa dimagrire, se fosse così, si saprebbe in giro! Ma, favorendo l’idratazione cutanea, ci regala un colorito sano.

Se la sfida è di bere 1 litro e mezzo al giorno di acqua, ecco allora come potete fare: 1 bicchiere contiene circa 20-25 cl, quindi un bicchiere sano appena vi alzate, prima di far colazione, poi 1 tazza di tè o di caffè alla colazione del mattino, e già arriviamo a 40-50 cl, un bicchiere durante la mattinata, e un altro bicchiere prima di pranzo – con questo trucchetto si riduce anche l’appetito (!) – un altro bicchiere d’acqua  nel pomeriggio e un bicchiere prima di cena. Ecco fatto!\"water-glas1\"

D’estate, quando fa caldo e si suda, l’ideale è bere acque minerali, come le acque gassate, così possiamo recuperare i minerali che abbiamo perduto con il sudore. E poi, il bicchierone d’acqua appena sveglie, prima di colazione, favorisce le funzioni intestinali, senza prendere medicine. Ma sì, le parigine non soffrono di costipazione!». Émilie

Staying “young” is the aim that most people want to achieve, and plastic surgery and invasive cosmetic techniques are the “remedies” used more and more often to contrast the ageing of our bodies. But are they really the only solution? Can we consider natural medicines and the holistic vision of the way we eat a more effective and healthy alternative? Dr Hervé Grosgogeat, the internationally acclaimed Parisian nutritionist answers these questions, offering us all the information we need to improve our diet and our lifestyle in order to prevent age-related disease, to obtain a more youthful face and body and a general condition of health and wellbeing…


Slowing down ageing, losing weight and keeping it off, fighting modern illnesses

\"antiage-p1\"Hervé Grosgogeat has conceived an anti-inflammatory nutritional programme. This new way of eating is based on the fight against the main accelerator of ageing, illness and weight gain: silent inflammation. More than a weight-loss diet, the aim is to feel and look younger, thanks to the benefits of anti-age nutrition and a programme to adopt as part of our lives. This is what he reveals in his book: Anti-Ageing Promise 

What is the philosophy of your anti-ageing promise?

“It rests on integrated medicine and its approach to illness, focused on the person, lifestyle and the environment. We are currently witnessing the fast growth of chronic illnesses\"antiage-p5\" and problems linked to stress. These illnesses, called “civilisation” all have a direct link with diet and with silent inflammation. The origin of inflammatory illnesses is linked to our diet and to our lifestyle. As the causes are multi-factorial, integrated medicine is the best treatment for the inflammatory illnesses of civilisation. A completely natural approach to health-related prevention and anti-ageing”.

What are the benefits of this anti-ageing programme?

“It is ultra-preventative and it reduces silent inflammation very quickly, also causing weight loss, relieving pain and promoting inner and outer youth. The strengthening of the immune system, longer life, a sensation of wellbeing, serenity, improved emotional balance, better quality of sleep, a more youthful body and skin. As time goes by, the control of the mediators, of the inflammation allows the reduction of numerous symptoms of chronic illnesses. Given that silent inflammation depends on the hormonal balance, the other key element of this programme is to help re-establish the balance between pro-inflammatory hormones and anti-inflammatory ones”.

\"antiage-p4\"

Are you talking about a new aesthetic approach that comes from the inside?

We live in a society in which youth, more than anything else, is considered as the most precious asset. We know that no cosmetic surgery and not even the most effective anti-wrinkle cream can make us feel younger or healthier. The secret to a long, healthy life lies inside our body. I call this new approach of medicine that acts on the origin of ageing “inner cosmetic surgery”.

What can we do to extend life and improve its quality?

\"imgres\"The reduction of chronic inflammation is based on the choice of a new anti-ageing lifestyle which consists in: moderating the consumption of industrial foods; considerably reducing the consumption of “bad” fats; recharging our batteries with protective foods and nutrients; keeping the body health with regular physical exercise that is suitable for the anti-inflammatory solution; respecting the sleep cycle; reducing excitants; reflecting on your family or professional organisation; managing stress by concentrating on breathing and relaxing; keeping your weight under control; reducing exposure to the sum and pollution; prioritising better emotional communication between body, mind and environment. To simplify, if we want to reduce the risks of developing an illness linked with ageing, slowing down the ageing process, we have to learn to dominate inflammation”. 

Can you tell us some of the rules of your method?

There are more than 20 rules. To begin with: most meals have to be made up of brightly coloured foods; do not skip meals. Eat three meals a day at quite precise times; \"photo10\"avoid saturation fats; prefer lean meat; increase the consumption of fibre; drink tea, preferably green; drink freshly made fruit juices; drink a litre and a half of water a day, which is about 8 to 10 glasses; avoid refined foods like white flour and sugar; prefer wholemeal bread and avoid bread containing chemical yeast; if you can’t live without sugar, use natural substitutes at all costs; stop smoking; get out of town to breathe some fresh air (woods, the seaside, etc.); avoid the use of products containing phthalates and parabens; replace white rice with brown, basmati or Thai rice, which has a lower glycaemic index; stop eating sweets, industrial snacks and fruit drinks containing sugar; don’t forget to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day; snack happily on raw foods: celery, carrots, apples and pears, etc.”

The discovery of silent inflammation is part of the great scientific findings of recent years in relation to anti-ageing and obesity. Dr Hervé Grosgogeat is one of the first persons to explain the causes and consequences so simply and accessible to everyone in “Ma promesse anti-âge”. Published by Odile Jacob

A bientôt, Catherine

© Pictures: front page internet, inside internet and H.Grosgogeat

Invece di mangiare meccanicamente, imparate a farlo “in tutta coscienza”. Il concetto è di mangiare di meno e di assaporare di più. Sentiamo sempre più spesso parlare di mangiare “in tutta coscienza”. Ma cosa vuol dire questo, alla fin fine?  Lo sapete bene, fare le cose “in tutta coscienza” significa partecipare appieno a ciò che facciamo, per guadagnare piacere e digerire meglio. Ma come possiamo fare?...

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Edizione Italiana

Edita da RIZZOLI, Sophie la Parigina è una guida di stile moderna su PARIGI. Illustrata dai disegni di Alessandra Ceriani, completata da un elenco degli indirizzi preferiti dalla parigina e arricchita di ricette gastronomiche.

 

English Edition

Published by RIZZOLI New York, Sophie the Parisian'sis a modern life style guide about PARIS. Illustrated with color drawings, complemented by a list of Parisians' favorite locations and enriched with gastronomic recipes.

 
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