On Eating

The Edwardian day had a shape imposed upon it by meals at settled hours. Breakfast and luncheon were distinct occasions, tea appeared in the afternoon, and dinner was taken at a table; the arrangement was sometimes inconvenient and often too formal, but it did prevent eating from spreading without limit into every other activity.

The modern day permits an unbroken stream of consumption: breakfast on the way out, luncheon over a keyboard, and something eaten from its container before an open refrigerator late at night. Convenience occasionally requires such meals; as a settled habit, it makes appetite and quantity needlessly difficult to judge.

When circumstances allow, sit at a table and put the food upon a plate. Let the meal have a recognisable beginning and end, after which the dishes are cleared and another part of the day begins; eating is easier to attend to when it is treated as an activity rather than the background accompaniment to work and entertainment.

A plate and cutlery introduce only a small degree of ceremony, but they also require a surface and a seated diner, both of which encourage a slower and more attentive meal.

As for the food itself, let vegetables and fruit occupy much of the plate, with a portion of whole grain and a varied source of protein. Beans, lentils, nuts, fish, eggs, dairy, and meat may all have a place according to health, means, and preference. Water is the ordinary drink. Foods high in sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat are better treated as occasional rather than structural parts of the household diet.

Three meals at roughly similar hours suit many people. Medical needs, appetite, culture, and working hours may require another arrangement. Judge the pattern by whether it provides adequate nourishment and permits hunger and fullness to be noticed. The number of meals is secondary.

The manner of eating matters as much as the content. Chew your food. Do not eat so quickly that the meal is over before you have registered its occurrence. Put the fork down between bites if you must; the food is not going to escape. Eat in company when you can, for a meal shared is a different thing from a meal taken alone over a keyboard, and the difference is worth preserving.

Further guidance

• Healthy eating recommendations, Health Canada
• Make healthy meals with Canada’s food guide plate, Health Canada