Community & Wellness

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Sustainability in the Cafe

Across our operations at The New York Times, we are committed to serving:

Ingredients from local & regional sources

Food that is produced with minimal use or free of chemicals

and antibiotics

Meats and eggs from purveyors that support the humane

treatment of farm animals

Seafood that is acquired from sustainable sources

Products from suppliers that reward the

efforts of farmers and laborers

Plant forward menus that promote the health of our guests

and our planet

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Mindful Eating: Simple Habits for Better Health

Mindful eating can help you slow down and pay more attention to how, when, and why you eat. Instead of rushing through meals or eating on autopilot, it encourages you to tune in to your body and be more present with your food.

Over time, these small habits may support digestion, steady energy levels, meal satisfaction, and a healthier relationship with food.

What Is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is simply paying attention while you eat. That means noticing things like hunger, fullness, taste, texture, and how you feel before, during, and after a meal.

It can also help you become more aware of your usual eating habits and what helps you feel your best.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

Mindful eating can support digestion, stress management, and energy. Potential benefits include:

Supports digestion: Eating more slowly and chewing your food well may make digestion a little easier and help reduce bloating or discomfort after meals.1

Helps you notice hunger and fullness: Paying attention while you eat can make it easier to notice when you’re starting to feel satisfied before you become overly full.

Makes meals more enjoyable: Slowing down gives you a chance to actually notice the flavor, smell, temperature, and texture of your food.

Supports steady energy and blood sugar: Paying attention to your hunger and eating regularly can help you avoid long stretches without food, which may support steadier energy and blood sugar levels.2

Gives you a mental break: Stepping away from work or other responsibilities for a meal gives you a chance to reset before jumping back into your day.

May improve eating habits: Mindful eating can help you notice patterns and triggers around food. Research suggests it may also help with emotional or binge eating behaviors and support a more positive eating experience.3

Tips for Practicing Mindful Eating

You don’t have to completely change the way you eat to practice mindful eating. Here are a few simple ways to get started.

Step Away From Your Desk

When you can, step away from your workspace and give yourself an actual lunch break. Even 10 or 15 minutes away from your computer can help you reset and focus more on your meal.

In one small study, people who ate while working on a computer felt more stressed and hungrier afterward than when they ate without distractions.4

Try eating in the break room, kitchen, outside, or anywhere that feels separate from work.

Think of lunch as a chance to refuel and recharge, not lost productivity.

Slow Down Between Bites

Busy days can make it easy to rush through a meal without really noticing it. Try chewing your food well and paying attention to each bite, including the flavor, texture, and temperature. This can support digestion while also giving you more time to enjoy your food.

One easy way to slow down is to get in the habit of putting your fork down between bites.

Pause Halfway Through Your Meal

About halfway through your meal, pause for a second and check in with how you’re feeling. Are you still hungry? Starting to feel satisfied? Getting full?

That quick pause can make it easier to notice your hunger and fullness cues as you eat.

Eat Regularly

It’s hard to slow down and eat mindfully when you’re extremely hungry. You may be more likely to grab whatever is quickest or eat past the point of fullness.

Aim for regular, balanced meals when you can. If you don’t have time for a full meal, try to have at least something. Yogurt and fruit, peanut butter toast, cheese and crackers, or a smoothie can help hold you over until your next meal.

Check In With Your Body

Stress can affect appetite in different ways. Some days you may feel hungrier than usual, while other days you may barely notice hunger at all.

Before eating, take a quick second to check in with yourself. Are you hungry? Tired? Stressed? Bored? Do you just need a break?

Food may still be exactly what you want or need, and that’s okay. But if stress seems to be what’s driving the urge to eat, you could also try a few deep breaths, some chair yoga, or a short meditation. The idea is simply to notice what you’re feeling before you decide what you need.

Reduce Distractions When You Can

You don’t have to eat every meal in complete silence. Even cutting out one distraction can make it easier to be more present.

Try putting your phone away, closing your laptop, or turning off the TV for part of your meal. If you’re eating with coworkers, friends, or family, enjoy the conversation and your food instead of trying to multitask.

The Bottom Line

Mindful eating is simply about paying more attention to your eating experience and listening to your body’s cues. Even small changes, such as taking a real lunch break, reducing distractions, or slowing down between bites, can help you become more aware of your habits and enjoy your meals more fully.

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Electrolyte Drinks: Helpful Hydration or Hype?

Walk through any grocery store or gym and you’ll see electrolyte beverages everywhere. These products come as powders to stir into water, tablets to drop in fancy water bottles, or ready-to-drink brightly colored carbonated beverages.

Labels claim they are essential for hydration, recovery, and even daily wellness. Electrolyte beverages have become especially popular among athletes, travelers, and wellness-focused consumers.

Despite the marketing, the truth is that most healthy adults do not actually need electrolyte supplements every day.

What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals that help regulate important functions in the body, including fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve function. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride are all electrolytes, and we naturally lose them through sweat, urine, and feces.

The good news is that our bodies are generally very good at replenishing these losses when we eat balanced meals and drink enough fluids throughout the day.

Which foods contain electrolytes?

Many common foods we eat everyday contain electrolytes. Fruits and vegetables like bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, and leafy greens contain potassium, while dairy products like milk or yogurt provide calcium. Whole grains, nuts, and seeds contribute magnesium, and sodium are commonly found in everyday foods such as soup, bread, and cheese.

Meals and snacks built around these foods provide the electrolytes most people need for overall health and wellness.

When are electrolyte beverages helpful?

There are certain situations, though, where electrolyte beverages are recommended to maintain hydration. Endurance athletes, heavy sweaters, individuals working in extreme heat, or people experiencing illness with vomiting or diarrhea experience higher fluid and electrolyte losses. In these cases, electrolyte beverages can help support rehydration more effectively than water alone.

For the average person, though, electrolyte drinks are often unnecessary. Many products contain large amounts of sodium, added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or other additives that may not provide additional health benefits.

Electrolyte beverages were originally designed specifically for athletes with high sweat losses, but smart marketing and prominent advertisements have made them appear necessary for general health and well-being, even for healthy adults who engage in casual exercise.

While electrolyte in beverages may not provide increased health benefits for the average person, some lower-sugar options may encourage people to drink more fluids overall.

How to boost your hyrdation

Flavor matters, and some find these easier to drink than plain water. If you choose an electrolyte beverage, look beyond the flashy label and read what is really inside. Pick a product that matches your activity level and hydration needs. Added sugar, sodium, and caffeine can add up quickly throughout the day, and artificial ingredients are often hidden in the fine print.

More electrolytes are not always better, and for many healthy adults, water remains the best choice for most day-to-day needs, especially when paired with balanced meals and snacks throughout the day.

Summary

Bottom line, electrolyte beverages can have a place, particularly during intense exercise, heat exposure, or illness. But for everyday hydration, most people just need to sip plain water and eat balanced nutritious foods.