This deck of Mindful Eating Meal Cards will help you to listen to your own wisdom
For those who struggle with an eating disorder or disordered eating, mealtime is usually a battleground. But while so many people focus on food, the healing process must deal with so much more.
It’s a delight when new philosophies come along that take the focus off of food and onto the underlying issues that cause people to have an unhealthy relationship with themselves.
Recently, Mindful Eating Meal Cards were released by Donald Altman. This set of cards are the first of their kind to make mealtime a nurturing and fulfilling place to be. For someone recovering from an eating disorder, they are a powerful tool to help you connect with your inner wisdom.
They are organized into categories: Mindfulness, Letting Go, Blessings, Hunger & Taste, Contemplations, and Intentions. Each card is beautifully illustrated by Paul Mendoza and a poem-like passage is written on the back.
My favorite card is in the Mindfulness section and is called, Where is Breath? The passage brings calm, clarity and ease to the reader as they take a bite. How often do we forget the simplest thing: to breathe?
The suggested meal card instructions give ideas for using the cards- daily, with meals, in a group, in silence- but the possibilities are endless.
Mr. Altman created this deck meticulously and says, "I believe food is not a pleasure race, but a place to find grace. It was my intention in creating these cards that they benefit those who struggle with any kind of mindless or disordered or unbalanced eating (and life) behaviors.
“Mindfulness is a skill that heals, and I envision these cards as a means for individuals to become more skillful over time. Each card, to me, is like a few grains of self-caring and extreme self-nurturing that we can give to ourselves...or to another who we care about. We all need new mindful tools to cope with the high stress that is impacting our lives."
The cards were developed out of the groups he runs based on his 12-Weeks to Mindful Eating Program: Creating a Balanced Approach to Food, Body, and Weight. This group originated while he was working as a Senior Mental Health Therapist at the Providence St. Vincent Eating Clinic in Portland, OR.
The 52-card deck can be ordered from Donald’s website, where you can also find out more about his philosophy, programs and books: www.mindfulpractices.com
Donald Altman, M.A.: In addition to being on the board of directors of The Center for Mindful Eating (TCME.ORG) he has also worked for more than two years at the Providence St. Vincent Eating Clinic in Portland, OR. Other books include: Meal By Meal: 365 Daily Meditations for Finding Balance through Food, Living Kindness and 12-Weeks to Mindful Eating Guidebook.
