Where Do You Really Eat Each Day?

Is it your dining table, your car, or your desk beside the computer?

You can have the most balanced plate, but if you eat quickly and barely chew, you overlook an important part of digestion. It is like going to a restaurant, ordering your food, paying, and leaving without eating. Would you do that?

In this episode of RACE to Wellness, I invite you to change your mealtime environment so you can eat with presence and gratitude.

Remember our approach to the journey toward wellness: Recognize, Assess, Create, and Empower.

Recognize:

Think about your last meal. Were you paying attention to your plate or to a screen? Were you eating seated, standing, or while doing something else?

The first step is to recognize your surroundings and your pace. Did you enjoy your meal, or did you simply finish it?

Assess:

Why do you eat that way? What prevents you from setting aside about fifteen minutes to eat and take a break?

Notice how you eat, too. Do you chew thoroughly? Do you finish one mouthful before taking the next? We know chewing is important, but do we put that knowledge into practice?

During my years in medical school, I often ate so quickly that I barely remembered having eaten. At other times, I stopped only when my stomach demanded attention.

As a physician, I prescribed; now, as a mother, I educate and put what I teach into practice. I knew chewing was important, but I did not fully understand its role in digestion. As I explored holistic nutrition and the study of the microbiota, I learned to place greater value on that everyday act: chewing.

Create:

Create a new environment for your meals:

• If you work in a noisy setting, find a quiet corner where you can enjoy your food for about fifteen minutes.
• If you share your space with a team, sit with them and enjoy a conversation. What if you put your phone aside this time?
• If you work from home, step away from your computer. Take a break and enjoy the fruits of your efforts: the food in front of you is also a result of your work.

You can be the person who starts creating a different kind of table. A table where people are present and grateful.

Presence invites you to enjoy what you are eating. Gratitude invites you to appreciate what you receive.

Empower:

Which idea from this episode will you put into practice?

You can eat away from your computer, put your phone aside, find a quiet place, or share a conversation. You can also pay more attention to chewing and pause before your next bite.

Choose just one action and keep it up for a week.

You do not need to change everything. Start with one meal and a simple commitment: practise both virtues, being present and being grateful.

What will your table look like this week?

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Bonus: supporting digestion

After improving your surroundings, another question arises: how can you care for and support your digestion?

Saint Hildegard gave an important place to foods such as fennel, pellitory, and galangal. In her book Physica, she described the qualities she attributed to these plants.

Part of my research has involved examining in depth the benefits Saint Hildegard attributed to these plants. I have found studies exploring some of these areas, and I want to share those findings with you.

Fennel

“However it is eaten, it brings joy to the person.”

Saint Hildegard of Bingen · Physica, LXVI, page 39. Translation of a historical passage.

For Saint Hildegard, fennel was one of the most beneficial foods, among the few she recommended eating in every form, including raw. She recognized its benefits for improving digestion and for helping people feel calmer. These are two benefits that modern science has been able to document.

Pellitory · Anacyclus pyrethrum

“It promotes good digestion and does not allow anything to pass through the body undigested.”

Saint Hildegard of Bingen · Physica, XVIII. Translation of the historical passage.

This root has so many properties that it is truly surprising. Its documented properties include antimicrobial and digestive effects. This offers a twofold effect: helping improve digestion while protecting against pathogens.

Root extracts have shown antibacterial activity in laboratory studies. Studies in mice have also described changes in markers of intestinal inflammation, the intestinal barrier, and the microbiota.

Collected references: Plants (MDPI), 2022, on traditional digestive use; Baslam et al., 2023, and Canlı et al., 2017, on laboratory antibacterial activity; Wu, Wang, and Mao, Frontiers in Microbiology, 2026, on intestinal markers in mice.

Galangal · Alpinia galanga

“Anyone who suffers discomfort in the chest, heart, or spleen, and anyone whose stomach is chilled by phlegm, should take galangal.”

Saint Hildegard of Bingen · Physica, XIII, page 16. Translation of an excerpt from a historical text.

Galangal is a fairly spicy root that has been studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics and its effect on reducing cellular inflammation. It also has a protective effect on the gastric mucosa, which we will explore below.

Studies in rats have described fewer ulcerative stomach lesions and less damage to heart muscle, along with improved markers of antioxidant defence.

Collected references: Johnley et al., Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal, 2020; Reddy et al., 2014. Animal research.

These findings offer a complementary perspective on Saint Hildegard’s writings. She understood the importance of nutrition and of seeing food as something crucial. In her rule of life, she proposes that food is our first medicine. The more I study nutrition and the microbiota, the more I identify with her and her wisdom.

You have learned about some additional tools for improving digestion, but remember that one is even closer, right in front of you. Improve the environment where you eat, and eat with presence and gratitude for the fruits of your efforts!

References for further exploration:

If you would like to explore further, here are the historical sources and research references that accompany this journey.

The quotations from Physica are historical. Laboratory and animal findings describe the models studied; on their own, they do not establish demonstrated benefits in humans.

These are general recommendations and are not intended to diagnose. The evidence mentioned is provided for reference and comes from my personal research.