How to eat mindfully this festive season
Are you worried about over-indulging and eating too much during the festive season?
Here’s 5 mindful eating tips to use whilst you are eating – to help you feel that fullness signal before you over-stuff yourself.
We are living in a world where most people are distracted whilst they eat… How often have you:
Eaten in front of the TV
Scrolled on social media whilst eating
Eaten your lunch at your desk, mindlessly gobbling down a sandwich whilst you reply to emails or do your work
Eat on the fly – maybe you’re rushing out the door in the morning and don’t have time to sit down to eat.
Grabbed a snack – like a packet of crisps or chocolate bar – and eaten it so quickly you can’t remember even tasting it.
I bet you’ve done one or more of these – I definitely know I have!
And during this festive season it’s even easier to over indulge – maybe you’ll eat whilst sitting in front of a Christmas movie, or mindlessly snacking on your next zoom party… or maybe because you have more mince pies and festive food in your house. Here’s 5 mindful eating tips you can use straight away.
Tip #1 Avoid distractions
Sit down to eat and put away the phone and switch off the TV. Take a few mindful deep breaths to allow your body to get into a relaxed state needed for digestion. We are better able to absorb nutrients when we are fully focused on eating plus when we are distracted, we can’t tune into our body’s signalling and feeling of fullness.
Tip #2 Be Present
Bring your awareness to the table. Appreciate all the sensations – look at your food, smell it so that you can fully savour it when you take the first bite. Appreciate the colours and acknowledge the effort that went into bringing the food to your plate. Savour the flavours with each bite as you enjoy your meals.
Tip #3 Choose satisfying foods.
Enjoy and savour the foods that you find satisfying. Eat food that you enjoy, without feeling guilty – there’s really no need! Whilst chewing appreciate the different taste sensations...
And I know that this season you may be indulging in more mince pies and cake than usual – go ahead and enjoy it. But I also recommend enjoying foods that are higher in fibre, protein and water content because will fill you up so that you actual feel that feeling of fullness and satisfaction of a well-eaten meal.
Tip #4 Chew your food
… well. Aim for a minimum of 20 chews per bite, chewing starts the process of digestion – digestion starts in the mouth! So the more you chew, the easier it is on your whole digestion system. You’ll feel full AND less likely to get tummy aches. Also – putting your fork down between bites will help you slow down and savour your food.
Tip #5 Check in with yourself
Ask yourself: Am I enjoying this meal? Do I still want to eat? Have I had enough & do I feel satisfied?
Check in post meal – how did that meal make you feel? Do you feel energised or lethargic? Did your tummy bloat? Clear headed? Connect with this part of the eating process. Understand how foods actually make you feel.
Eating should be pleasurable and something you enjoy.
If you’re ready to do something different this year:
Never yoyo diet again
Face each meal with excitement (rather than with dread)
Stop counting calories and punishing workouts
Like what you see in the mirror
Then check out my mindset-based approach to staying healthy without restriction. You can find more information here.