Christmas time is the season of celebration! And while that means a lot of relaxation and family time, it also means a whole lot of food. Here are 3 tips for you to eat mindfully this Christmas and improve your relationship with food over the holidays.
What is eating mindfully?
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware and enjoying the moment you’re in. And mindful eating is an extension of that. Mindful eating encourages you to be in the moment and enjoy each bite in front of you. It means eating without being preoccupied with stress, distractions, or other thoughts. But what benefits does mindful eating bring? Similar to mindfulness, mindful eating helps you appreciate the moment you’re in. In this case, it’s about feeling thankful for the food you enjoy. This not only improves your dining experience but also enhances your relationship with food. For people who binge eat or stress eat, mindfulness helps with weight loss. With these benefits in mind, here are 3 tips for mindful eating this Christmas season.
3 Tips to eat mindfully this Christmas
#1 Listen to your body
Christmas can be overwhelming — there’s so much to eat at so many events. How much is too much and what’s a good amount of indulgence to reward yourself over the holidays? Well, the answer to that lies with you. Your body gives you subtle signals on how much food it needs and enjoys. The thing is, you’re likely to overlook these signals when you’re out having a meal with friends. This Christmas, try to be more mindful of your consumption and pay attention to what your body is saying. This can be done by paying close attention to what you’re eating when you’re eating and how you’re eating. If you’re considering grabbing another bite — consider how it would make you feel. Vice versa, if you’re hesitant about having another slice of cake, listen to your body — it might encourage you to let loose and reward yourself!
#2 Slow down
Mindful eating isn’t just about watching how much you’re eating — it’s also about how you eat. And the only way you can do that is by slowing down! That’s a huge challenge over Christmas when you might be speeding through bites while having a conversation with friends. While it might be difficult to eat mindfully while with friends, you can be mindful while loading up your plate! Take just a few extra seconds to consider the food before you: where it came from, the effort that was put into it, and what you’re looking to get out of the meal. This way, you’ll only take as much as you need and fully enjoy every bite on your plate.
#3 Pick your favorites
Why do people feel guilty about overeating during Christmas? One reason is that overeating makes you feel queasy, but often, it’s also because you feel like your indulgence is “wasted” on foods that weren’t all that good! This Christmas, you can solve this problem with mindful eating. While you should definitely try everything out at the table, only indulge in larger portions of food that truly make you happy. Eat them slowly, appreciate how they make you feel, and live in the moment so you don’t have any regrets!
With these tips in mind, you’re ready to eat mindfully this holiday season. So we at Timeqube wish you a very Merry Christmas!
