In an ongoing series, Keren Weinstein, our Guest Life-Balance Editor, took a much needed trip. More than the need to go on vacation to a new locale, she wanted to find her own sense of balance and thus Project Detox began. Last week, we realized that a scent can calm us and create its own memory of peace and tranquility! Today, Keren brings us to the perfect moment with a meal.

I’m a young girl at a family function when I notice my L.A. based uncle sitting by the patio with the sun shining on his face. He is eating something from the fruit tray. By the looks of it one might think he was eating a slice of heaven. I immediately dart over.

‘Taste this Fig’ he says. Still standing I take a small bite and begin chewing. As if the faster I chew the quicker, I too, will taste.

‘Whoa. Slow it down. He tells me.

Sit down. Close your eyes.

Now take another bite.

Roll it in your mouth and let it touch the different taste buds.

Smell the experience.

Feel the texture & sensation.

Taste.’

(Wow. Was that the SAME Fig?) I recall opening my eyes & needing a moment just to snap back.

This was my first experience with Mindful Eating. I confess. Originally, I wrote it off as his ‘California’ way of eating.

And I was New York.

Fast forward to Project Detox where I am on the hunt to infuse balance into my every day life. When I see an activity called Mindful Eating I immediately sign up. The curiosity. The nostalgia. The craving for another Miraval-esque experience.

And after being gently slumber I woke up reborn. Hungry like a baby.

We sit with an appetite and an open mind in the dining room. Table set for about 20 guests. (Eating & mingling. Perfect!). Amongst us sits Junelle, the nutritionist. As she guides us through the meal with tips and teachings along the way, we quickly realize that the Only mingling was going to be with our inner selves and with the food!

We are not to talk to each other. We are to focus on the act of eating. Take a moment to notice our surroundings. The setting. The plate. The color and consistency of the food. To take a bite and feel the texture and temperature of the food in our mouths. Acknowledge the process of chewing and swallowing. The pause in between. Notice the after taste. Breathe.

It was challenging (& a bit awkward) to eat quietly in lieu of being amongst new friends but the greater the challenge the greater the reward. In no time did I learn about my personal relationship with food. About eating intuitively.

We were all shocked at how much food was left on our plates when we felt full and how delicious the experience was. The French know this. Quality over Quantity. They are thin.

It makes sense. Your brain receives a signal from the body through the central nervous system that you are hungry, eating and full. If your mind is ‘multi-tasking’ or rushing through a meal then there is no mind-body connection. You then miss the essential flavors and pleasures of the food & your digestion efficiency is decreased (and how ironic that IBS and stomach disease is on the rise). Plus, your brain may miss the messages that you are even eating - let alone full.

It may still think you are hungry. You continue eating.

No skinny jeans for you.

Our lives are in high-speed. If on-the-go we can talk, text, trade stocks, email, shop and for just about Anything…’there’s an App for that’, then you KNOW eating on-the-go must have been mastered way before that. Long ago in the U.S. eating has been defaulted as ‘another task to do on our list’. We eat meals while working at our desks, driving, watching TV, even walking.

OK, clearly we cannot eat every meal in silent focusing on the act of eating. Dinner with friends & family is Critical and there are times we simply must eat on-the-go. But between eating 3 meals and about 2 snacks per day, we have over 35 opportunities a week to attempt it. In between it all, we Can balance a sense of well-being with our high speed culture.

The picture above is my son ‘E’ at my favorite lunchtime-waterfall-escape-spot in NYC two blocks from my office. It’s important to me he learns the importance of mindful eating early on. No write offs this time.

Most cities are packed with many public parks, gardens, waterfalls, etc. and with an iPOD you can be staging moments for your meals just about anywhere. Another trick is to at least eat the first bite of every meal mindfully to set the tone. Putting your fork down in between bites really does help (thanks Junelle).

Book time on your calendar to eat mindful meals. Treat it with the importance of a business meeting or a trip to the doctor. This is time for you. A much needed break. A reconnection.

Slow down. Become aware. Chew. Pause. Savor. Enjoy.

Haven’t you heard?

Mindful eating is the meal of the moment!

Bon Appétit

Keren Weinstein is a seasoned professional in Fashion & Beauty with over 12 years in Integrated Marketing, Advertising and Celebrity Fashion Styling

So I am heading to the Dominican for vacation with Food Editor and boyfriend, Paul. I am super excited and the 5 weeks I have to wait, can't come soon enough. With that said, I want an entirely new wardrobe and of course, I still want to buy things throughout the rest of the season. Although the economy isn't that great, I love that you can get great deals. But a deal is truly best when it lasts!

When I first came to New York 6 years ago, I happened to be shopping with my mom for a trip I was taking to Florida. I needed a Little Black Dress as I was going to a wedding. I found the perfect LBD that was classy and yet, had little cut outs in the back. You can see this dress on the right side toolbar within my group of Flickr pictures. I wore this recently at a New Years event at the Rainbow Room. That was the best $39 dollars spent and it is my go to dress and travels well too!

So that brings us to the present! This dress was purchased at Mandee and if you don't have one in your hometown, you can get it online. Currently they are doing a 20% off promotion online if you use the word BAILOUT. I think this is a great way to add a lot of items into your wardrobe and you too may have a story about how something priced so cheaply ended up being a mainstay within your wardrobe!

So today is a bit strange with all the snow and looking out the window here in Long Beach, I am a bit concerned as we will soon make our way into the city!  What I love best about this day is that regardless of the plans, you never know where the night will take you! We have plans of going to Capitale (our initial plans seemed to have fizzled but I'm going with the flow) and then of course we will ring in the new year! I can't wait to kick off Kitten Lounge on Jan 5th with increased coverage on some topics and then those that are completely new for this site but yet will be loved by all of you! Happy New Year and see you in 2009!

We are at Day 4 of Fashion Week. I write this now as I am going to bed soon so that I can be ready for one of my most hectic days at the show. There are so many exciting shows that i can't wait to share with you AND Friday I turn 29 - so there is a lot to be done. In addition, the Pink Lounge just opened so please check it out as it keeps you connected to all those that have products and services that benefit the awareness of Breast Cancer! This will run from today through Nov 15th! In other news WNBC, the local NYC affiliate, is not only only covering Fashion Week but is also showcasing bloggers such as myself that are Fashion Bloggers On the Move - I have this image which is a print screen but you can check out other bloggers as well (many of them who I keep bumping into at the shows) and if you're on Twitter (username: CocoaBebe)say "hi" as I love building more followers and chatting with you! In addition, if you run a blog, let me know as I would love to continue adding to my links in the sidebars.

On past Fashionable Fridays I have shared interesting editorials, cute outfits that I considered to be a must and how it would look amazing with denim and anything else you can get your hands on. But as of this week, something amazing has taken place and in my mind’s eye, this is as big as many of the industries that continue to bubble at the service within the fashion industry. Right now we talk about two issues, that we want our models to reflect real people in the sense that they should look healthy and not as if they are seconds from fainting. In addition, our models should also reflect us as a people – coming in a variety of hues and that there should be an increased goal to ensure that our runways give everyone an opportunity to show how garments look. The runways promoting positive health and also promoting the very awareness that Italian Vogue did in their ground breaking issue of showing various black models. I commend anyone that can be the first or be apart of any movement that aims to change the face of how we see everything around us. Although I have made strides to change something whether it is within the industry or not, I have not placed myself on a platform that says, “here I am, recognize me as I am apart of this team”.

Sarah Conley, Coutorture Community Manager, Style IT Editor, make up artist and my friend who has helped me learn much more about social media and just what it means to be connected even when you don’t see each other everyday (yet you share the same city) – is on this platform. This Fashion Week as I become excited in not only attending the shows but sharing it with you, I felt the need to focus on the preparation and what it’s like to be there in one of fashion’s greatest tests of endurance. Sarah aims to launch the ground breaking webisodes of "On the Plus Side: A Fuller Figured Fashion Week", a documentary on what it means to be a plus size woman covering New York Fashion Week. To know Sarah is to know someone that is so vibrant and passionate about what she does that you are also engaged in what she is working on as well. This is someone who has style and so much so that many of the clothing companies: NARS, Old Navy, B & Lu, Lane Bryant, Silhouettes and Kathryn Kerrigan are assisting her so she can inspire other plus sized women to embrace their inner style and to be comfortable in their own skin.

With this big step and with so many people supporting Sarah within the blogosphere (Girl Woman Beauty Brains) and in PR (PR Couture), I felt that it was necessary to show my support for my friend. I am not only supporting her by creating an exclusive lariat necklace from my line, Kitten Couture for Sarah. This necklace will be named Lola (pictured below and is constructed of Mother of Pearl, Green Chips and vibrant Red Coral), and a percentage of the proceeds will be given to an organizations that encourages young girls to strive for their goals as they continue to gain a strong sense of self.

But as she covers NYFW and explores "On the Plus Side", we will also play her videos here as well to keep you in the loop! I have had the honor of hearing this from a plan to seeing it morph into an amazing plan. Although Sarah's focus is on representing a positive statement on being a plus sized woman and participating in NYFW, I can't help thinking that this is also a cry for all of us to enjoy who we are no matter our size, height, appearance etc! Stay tuned and also stay tuned to the sites mentioned within this post who will also be covering this. If you are a company that is interested in assisting Sarah, then please reach out so that you can be apart of this event as well!