Do you get overwhelmed and irritated by all the dieting articles during the holidays? Most people do. This year try a different approach. Mindful eating doesn't tell you what to eat and what not to eat. Instead, it is about eating the foods you enjoy in a new way. So don't worry. This article isn't going to tell you to avoid the mashed potatoes and skip the gravy.
Consider a few very basic mindful eating tips to help you eat more mindfully this holiday.
1) Sit Down: It sounds simple enough. However, how many of us take a plate of food and nibble on it until we've found a seat? It's hard to really enjoy food when you are standing up, balancing a plate. Don't take a bite unless you are sitting down and can truly enjoy what you are eating.
2) State Out Loud Three of Your Favorite Foods: It's likely that you named foods you only get once a year like cranberry dressing, Aunt Beth's sweet potato pie or gingerbread cookies. Consider what it is about these foods that give you pleasure. The texture? Taste? Smell? Focus on the foods you really love. Savor. Think about whether you really enjoy filler foods like rolls, things you can get all year. Stick to what you know you love.
3) Take a Game or Photos: When food is the only event at a holiday meal, it makes it too easy to mindlessly eat. Bring your favorite game or cards. Or, tote along photos from the year to ooh and ahh over.
4) Find Ways to Soothe and Comfort Yourself. Holidays are exciting and stressful. Find ways to calm and soothe yourself so you don't turn to food for comfort. Take a five minute breather. Drink a hot cup of tea. Play holiday music
5) Rethink the Holidays: In many ways, the holiday meal is just like any other. There is often an abundance of food. Seeing the holidays as "different" or "special" seems to imply that there is a different way we should eat. Yes, it is a holiday. However, mindful eating is not a diet. You don't have to avoid good food. It just means eating it slowly, with full awareness. This is something you can do all year long.
6) Mindless Triggers: It's likely that you can pinpoint some of your most common mindless eating triggers. Do you tend to pick mindlessly at food when it is sitting directly in front of you? Does eating next to an annoying relative lead you to stress eat? Make a list of things that sabotage your mindful eating. Make a plan about how to address them. For example, pick your favorite person to sit next to and grab the seat at their side. If you tend to pick at food, commit to pushing away your plate out of reach at the first indication that you are full.
7) Eat Regularly. Why do we insist that holiday meals should not be at a traditional meal time? For mindless eaters, it is a challenge to readjust the stomach's internal clock. Be sure to eat when you normally eat. Snack. Stay ahead of your hunger.
8) Take Home Leftovers: Bring your own Tupperwear. If you feel that you overeat because you enjoy good food, come equipped with your own doggie bag. No need to eat mindlessly if you know that you can savor it again later.
Best wishes on the holidays! Eat, Drink & Be Mindful
Twitter: @eatingmindfully
See Dr. Susan Albers' new book, But I Deserve This Chocolate: the 50 Most Common Diet-Derailing Excuses and How to Outwit Them. She is a psychologist for the Cleveland Clinic and author of five books on mindful eating including 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food and Eating Mindfully. Her books have been noted in O, the Oprah magazine, Shape, Prevention, Health etc. and seen on the Dr. Oz TV show.
www.eatingmindfully.com
