The Buddha Bowls of Instagram

Buddha bowls go by many different names: macro bowls, hippy bowls, but according to the site epicurious.com, these uniquely inspired bowls are based on the book “Buddha’s Diet,” which encourages people to get healthy by eating like the Buddha once did, simply and mindfully. This bowl phenomenon became a pop culture craze when people started posting pictures of their creations to Pinterest and Instagram for all to admire and possibly emulate.

The central tenant of the Buddha diet is mindful eating. This practice encourages people to eat slowly and with purpose. One should savor food and think about what they are eating. Another element of the Buddha diet is of time restrictive eating. Buddhists do not restrict their diet, but rather enjoy a variety of foods while limiting the amount of time in the day for eating to eight–12 hours. These important additions to the idea of the Buddha bowl are essential for healthy living. However, the culinary phenomenon is something all its own.

When creating a Buddha bowl you should mindfully include a variety of foods, such as a large amount of vegetables as a base, protein, crunch for texture, something sweet and a flourish of some kind. Of course with so much delicious variety, these will be some of the most colorful meals you will eat. These nutritional powerhouses can be created from the random contents of a refrigerator or they might be carefully planned out.

Either way, some people say a Buddha bowl doesn’t exist until it’s been photographed and posted to social media, but you can decide whether or not yours is worthy of an Instagram story. In the meantime, just enjoy.