Mindful Snacking Saved Me From My Stress
The Swedish tradition of fika is about more than just eating
In most of the published literature about snacking — from Seventeen to consumer studies — we don’t just “eat” snacks, we “reach for” snacks. “To fight effects of sleep deprivation, reach for healthy snacks.” “Before you reach for an evening snack, consider whether or not you’re really hungry.” “Hardly ever will the French woman reach for salt.” All the language surrounding snacking is laced with compulsion: “Bet you can’t eat just one!” The mind is otherwise occupied, but the body is reaching for a Pop-Tart with somnambulant determination.
I grew up in a grazing household. All day I would stand vacantly, cereal box in hand, like a cow chewing cud. I was one of those asshole kids with a freaky racehorse metabolism, so it was fine. But in my mid-twenties I began the slow march toward metabolic death. Now when I eat a muffin I have to lie still for 20 hours, digesting it like a snake. I can no longer mindlessly “reach for” things.
A 2013 study found that when participants couldn’t see what they were eating — which is essentially what’s happening when I’m fondling a bag of trail mix while I’m working — they ate much more. The benefits of mindful snacking, both for weight loss and for general well-being, are pretty intuitive: Of…
