As the holidays approach, there are lots of opportunities to eat delicious, festive food!
However, a lot of people become concerned with overeating during these times. This stress about food can even ruin the experience of eating for many people.
I want you to remember that these meals and the festive foods that are included in them are only a small fraction of the meals you eat all year round and they should be enjoyed!
For example, let's say you eat 3 meals/day for 365 days out of the year. Thanksgiving dinner is only 0.091% of ALL the meals you eat all year. Doesn’t seem like a huge deal anymore, right?
Instead of restricting yourself from all the fun foods, give yourself some grace and allow yourself to ENJOY these foods.
In order to help you get through the holiday season with ease, review these six keys to mindful eating:
Put your food on a nice plate instead of eating it out of a large container or pot - not only will this make the food look nicer, but it saves you from unintentionally overeating. You can always go back & get more if you are hungry.
Before and during eating, take a minute and ask yourself - how does this food taste? smell? feel? Taking time to PAUSE and check in with your body is a powerful thing. You may find that by doing this, you actually enjoy the food more. You’ll also start to notice which foods you really enjoy and which ones you don’t.
Give thanks and gratitude for where your food came from. Expressing gratitude is something that's important all year, but it can be especially helpful during the holidays. This year, take some extra time to think about where your food came from, and thank those who grew, transported, packaged & prepared it.
Remove distractions! No phone, TV, or iPad. I know, this is hard to do in our world today, but it’s important to disconnect. Being on your phone makes it hard for you to tune in to your body and listen when it’s telling you that you are reaching comfortable fullness. Removing tech at the table will also help you connect with family, your partner or yourself even more.
Slow down and chew your food thoroughly. We live in a go-go-go society, and sometimes slowing down is what we really need. Doing this will help you savour the meal. It also helps aid digestion.
Put down your utensil in between bites. This is another tip that will help you pause during the meal and check in with your body. Instead of eating as fast as possible, put the fork down and engage in conversation instead.
All year round - and especially during the holidays - mindful eating is a great tool to help get back in touch with your body, and truly enjoy the process of eating! Food should be savored and enjoyed. So, this holiday season, instead of stressing about the calories in your aunts mashed potatoes, let yourself enjoy them and focus on being present with your food and with your family during the meal.