At Real Food Daily, we make sure to let everyone know that we are LA’s top spot for organic vegan cuisine. What you might not know is that RFD’s original menu was founded on the principles of macrobiotics, and we still keep a core devotion to the macrobiotic diet with our Real Food Meal and our daily basics such as whole grains, beans, greens, and vegetables both land and sea as well as nori maki and miso soup.

Macrobiotics is a concept that gets an occasional burst of media attention as one celebrity or another endorses the diet, but in truth, Macrobiotics is more than a diet—it is a lifestyle based on the principles of balance and harmony, dedicated to the pursuit of living life to the fullest.

While there are many facets to the Macrobiotic diet, one good place to start the discussion is to talk about chewing. Before you get caught up in what to buy, or how to cook it, let’s talk about The Chew.

Macrobiotics teaches that how we eat is just as important as what we eat. This may sound crazy—especially when you read on and discover that some gurus recommend chewing 100 TIMES before swallowing – and that’s per bite, not per meal! Chewing, it’s core, is a practice in mindfulness.

According to practitioners, benefits associated with chewing well include: improved digestion, more energy and endurance, eliminating more toxins, promoting deeper relaxation, and cultivating patience and self-control. Once you begin the practice of mindful eating, you may even begin to experience feelings of enlightenment or event bliss! (Some attribute this experience to the fact that the brain receives about 20 percent more oxygen when chewing well.)

Ultimately, what you eat, and how you eat it can have a profound impact on your daily happiness. At your next meal, start by chewing each bite as many times as you can—when you start it will probably be only 8 or 10 “chews” before you feel compelled to swallow. But keep at it! This practice will help you to be more mindful as you eat, and will encourage you to be thoughtful and conscientious about how you feed your body.

Eating well gives you three chances every day to make good decisions for your body and your soul, so embrace the opportunity to eat and chew well!