Mindful and Meditative Cooking with Cooked By Lo
The word mindfulness might seem a bit overused, even daunting. Some people associate it with stillness and meditation. Some might think of it as just being aware of your body and surroundings. Have you ever considered how cooking can be mindful?
A big theme for my clients is how the heck to get started cooking. Much like meditation or exercise, people are timid to start, which can make something meant to be enjoyable, stressful. For others, cooking can be a wonderful outlet for anxiety-reduction. The motions are calming, the smells are soothing.
When Lily Osman reached out to me on Instagram (aka @cookedbylo) I knew I had to share her approach to cooking. She wants cooking to be meditative and anxiety-reducing for everyone. She is a trained chef who shares thoughtful recipes with mindfulness practices built into the steps. As someone who had to manage anxiety and a learning disability, she advocates for those struggling with their mental health to find techniques in their personal toolbox. Her approach to mental health through cooking is unique and inspiring, so of course I had to interview her for Mindfulness March.
1. What was your kitchen/food like as a child? Have you always liked to cook?
I have absolutely always loved cooking, it was a huge part of my childhood. My mom is an amazing cook and we were constantly in the kitchen or watching Ina Garten cook. My food as a child was always on the healthier side of things which I am so thankful for because my body really craves greens constantly as an adult, but we also never skipped a pasta night.
2. Balance, right? So aside from growing up in a food-friendly household what grew your interest in cooking and particularly stress-free cooking?
I have always loved creating recipes and cooking but it wasn't until I was put into stressful situations that I realized how much cooking was an outlet for me. In moments where I was cooking (unaware it was mindfully) I was a lot more confident and productive; since I have a learning disability, cooking really helped my confidence in school because I could think out the steps and see immediate results (the meal I created) it made me confident in my ability to take on more and more. As someone who struggles with anxiety, cooking was an escape from thought which is rare, in the kitchen, I just think about what I am doing so I don't cut myself or burn myself, that freedom to be present is transformative.
3. What inspired you to take the next step and go to culinary school?
I had worked in a very toxic corporate cosmetics company, I was waking up at 4 am leaving at 11 pm, and have never been so exhausted and out of touch with my body. Eventually, my hair started falling out which I didn't even notice at the time. It took me 6 months after a family member telling me my hair was falling out to get the courage to quit, once I did, I had to get head injections around 2000 or more at least once a month, the pain was so intense that I didn't think to look for a job because of the pain. I kept cooking throughout that time as my one daily task and realized it was what I loved, so I applied to a bunch and fell in love with the one I went to and knew that it was what I meant to be doing.
4. You’ve talked on your page about some mental health struggles you’ve overcome. How do you think this affected your personal approach to cooking?
A professional kitchen is a very intense space both on your body and mentally, it is clear from day one you have to take care of yourself, if you are distracted you can cut yourself or burn yourself or just faint from how hot it is in the kitchen. Because it is a heightened space by nature the culinary world has very good systems to help maintain a balance and prevent these accidents, in the culinary classroom it was easier to ask for help than cut my finger or take a moment to drink water so I didn’t faint. Since it was so engrained in the culture I wasn’t afraid to do take those moments or integrate other techniques I learned through different therapy and therapy programs that I had been doing since the age of 12; the more of those systems I was able to integrate the more efficient I was in the kitchen. I started to journal every night after class because I was so curious by the ease with which I was able to apply tools that I wasn’t able to apply in times of crisis at other points in my life. Being in this heightened space just made everything simpler, after reviewing my journal I was able to layout a system to create a mindful space in my own kitchen and figured it might help other people too.
5. Who do you think could benefit from the advice and recipes on cookedbylo?
Although this answer seems cliche, I think everyone can benefit from the advice on my page. While my goal was to reach people struggling with Mental Illness or learning disabilities the more I started teaching my classes and growing my following the more I understood that we don't implement enough self-care into our lives and it is really hard to implement them alone, especially if you have a busy full-time job or kids or honestly just dealing with the stress of being in a pandemic. So putting a self-care system into something that a lot do every day, cooking, is a really positive first step for everyone. Self-care is something we can all be more conscious of constantly implementing.
6. How important is it for everyone to view cooking as mindful and meditative? Do you think this plays a role in our overall health?
It is so important to view cooking as a meditative space, we are so disconnected from what we eat, and for me when I was stressed, I really just wanted to get through my day. What I love about my technique, is I'm not asking you to take extra time out of your daily to-do an additional task, I am just introducing them to something you would already be doing. As a trained chef I figured out a way to save you time in parts of the cooking process so you can have moments of mindfulness, so you are not spending more time in the kitchen just better time. Integrating small acts of self-care has stimulated curiosity in other areas of self-care and has made me re-focus on its importance, which has definitely played a huge role in my overall health.
7. What would you suggest to someone who has anxiety over cooking but wants to start? What would the first step be?
Start with something simple that you can use in a lot of different ways, like a homemade marinara sauce or homemade dressing, when we take those little steps and really acknowledge those steps as something to be proud of, a snowball effect happens. Journaling while eating or making those homemade multiple-purpose items will give you more confidence to try something more advanced:
write down how it tastes, why you are proud of yourself for doing that, compliment yourself.
8. What is your inspiration behind your recipes and the mindfulness steps?
My inspiration is just whatever I am craving, I use to be concerned with calories but really now I just am aware that my body needs some greens to function, and besides that my cravings are valid. My cravings come from scrolling through other food accounts or old cookbooks (which are often gifted to me). In terms of mindfulness, I use DBT techniques learned in therapy. I also know that having a toolbox of techniques for bad moments is key for my anxiety, so I am constantly reaching and trying new ways to incorporate meditative, mindful, and grounding practices and products.
9. Are there any other mindfulness or meditative practices that are important to you?
Morning Meditation is super important to me, starting my day in that space has been transformative because not only am starting my day with intention but it also keeps me away from my phone which is hard. 2. Wim Hof Method, if you do not know what this is look it up because it is life-changing and I cannot explain it better than he can. 3. I try to practice small association techniques (another name is habit stacking) throughout my day: stand on one foot while brushing my teeth, When making my tea I will undo my dishwasher- this really helps me make all of my tasks I don't want to do a little less daunting and more manageable.
10. What are your top three favorite meditative meals to make?
1. Meatballs 2. Chicken Cacciatore 3. Chopped Salad
Time to get cooking!
Check out Lily Osman's website HERE and find her on instagram @cookedbylo.