5 Tips To Eat Mindfully Through The Holidays

Holidays are always a time when we tend to indulge in our favorite foods and drinks. It’s Christmas and New Years is just around the corner. With tons of events to attend and family gatherings, it is easy to slip and pack on a few extra pounds (we tend to eat mindlessly while being entertained). When we have too much going on, we loose focus, end up consuming more, and enjoying it less. Stress can spike up the production of cortisol, which can interfere with digestion and cause us to store excess calories as fat. Get in touch with yourself, and practice my five simple steps to eating through the holidays.

BE MORE MINDFUL 

Instead of scarfing down your food, enjoy each bite and REALLY taste it by eating slowly. Notice the taste, texture, and the smell of the food. Eating this way will make you appreciate your meal and make the experience much more special.

CHEW PROPERLY

Digestion begins in the mouth as you start to chew your food. The digestive enzymes found in saliva begging to break down the food and allowing it to better absorb all of the nutrients. Try to chew each mouthful AT LEAST 25 times, until the food becomes almost liquid. This will make it easier for your stomach and small intestine. Taking the time to chew will create less gas and therefore prevent bloating!

PORTION CONTROL

The more food you put on your plate, the more you will eat. Bigger portions can make people eat 30-50% more than they typically would. Have a small salad, grab a few healthy sides, and aim for your protein portion to be the size of a deck of cards.

TURN OFF THE TV

Your brain won’t be able to register how much food you are really taking in if you are distracted by the TV. You will end up consuming more than you intended to and probably won’t even notice how delicious the meal was.

THANKS

Give thanks for the meal and appreciate each bite going into your beautiful body. Our body is our temple, and it is the only place we have got to live. Treat it well and it will treat you even better! 😉