Mindful Munching this Holiday Season

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 Mindful Munching this Holiday Season

This time of the year involves lots of sweets, holiday cocktails and comfort foods. It’s the best time of the year, but sometimes it can be a really challenging time of the year for people who struggle with disordered eating. Disordered eating doesn’t have to be a specific diagnosed disorder, it can simply be erratic eating patterns of over-eating and not-eating. Anyone can experience this type of behavior and during the holidays it can add more stress when being around food.

The concept of mindful eating is a way to prevent over-indulging and be conscious of what you are actually eating. This does not include crazy diet tricks that prevent you from consuming some of your holiday favorites, but instead allows you to enjoy all your favorites in a smarter, healthier way. Mindfully eating allows you to choose foods you truly want and YOU, and only you decide what you want to eat!

Mindful eating allows you to use your senses to choose food that is satisfying to you by using your hunger cues to guide when you should eat something and when you should stop eating. Mindful eating is all about trusting your body to tell you when you are hungry and enjoying the experience of eating, taking your time to appreciate the flavors in your food and allow eating to be a pleasant, stress-free experience.

Current dietetics professionals find during the holidays many people feel anxiety and creates the notion to create food rules. Mindful eating can provide increased satisfaction , choosing foods that taste good and feel good to the person.

This is something that can be learned and worked at—hey I even have to work at it! But the point is I am working on it! And you can too! You can recognize your hunger cues and allow yourself to enjoy all of your favorite foods without restriction.

Here are some ideas by Barbara Gorden, RDN, LD to think about when at your next holiday gathering:
1.                    Don’t Skip Meals: Consume smaller meals throughout the day to avoid overeating at meal time.
2.                    Eat Small Portions: Everything in moderation, eat your favorites but not in a large portion.
3.                    Pick a Strategy to Avoid Overeating – and Use it!: Use a smaller plate to help limit your portion size, fill your vegetables first, then entrée and then dessert, eat slowly and savor your food!
4.                    Keep Moving: Get physical and go for a walk after dinner!
5.                    Visit a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist: Need more help and information on Mindful Eating? Contact an RD!


EB

Reference:
Dennett, C. (2016). Holiday Eating. Today’s Dietitian, (18), 11, p. 22. Retrieved on November 21, 2018, from https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/1116p22.shtml
Gordon, B. (2018). 5 Tips od Enjoying the Holiday without Gaining Weight. Eat Right: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Retrieved on November 21, 2018, from https://www.eatright.org/health/lifestyle/holidays/how-to-enjoy-the-holiday-without-the-weight-gain

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