Why Mindful Eating Should be a Part of your Holiday Self Care Routine
The months of November and December are undoubtedly the busiest and most celebrated months of the year in our country. With huge meals, relatives visiting, travel, cookie baking, and pressure to create a Hallmark-esque holiday, prioritizing self-care becomes even more important. Before you know it, the holidays will have breezed by and it’ll be January again.
While we often talk about the significance of taking time for oneself or allowing for rest during the holiday season, this year I want to focus on food.
The holiday season, especially Thanksgiving, revolves around extravagant meals that require full-day preparation and planning. Have you ever spent so much time cooking and getting things ready that you end up starving by mealtime? Or you've waited all day to eat and ended up gobbling it down in record time without even tasting or enjoying all that hard work? We’ve all been there. And often we are left with a sense of let down because it’s all over and we didn’t even enjoy it.
This year, let's aim to avoid the frantic gobbling and instead, take a more mindful approach. You deserve to experience gratitude, and peace, and enjoy quality time with your loved ones. To help you achieve this, here are some tips to have a more mindful Thanksgiving and holiday season:
📋 Prepare for the Meal – It’s hard to slow down when you haven’t eaten all day. We tend to put all of our energy into holiday meals. Instead of “saving room” for one big meal, eat something throughout the day, especially some protein. This stabilizes your blood sugar and keeps your energy stable. I promise your delicious meal will still be just as enjoyable because you will actually be able to sit and eat it mindfully, enjoying each bite.
💕 Give Gratitude – The occasions like Thanksgiving and the winter holidays revolve around the theme of gratitude, where we express our thankfulness for what we have and our loved ones. I like to keep a gratitude journal throughout the year, but just taking a moment to give thanks before eating slows us down a bit. It gives us the time to appreciate the meal and the company we keep. What can you be grateful for this year?
You could even make it an activity for everyone to share around the table. Do you want to know an embarrassing moment from my teen years? My family has this on video tape of course. We were all sharing what we were thankful for and I said “Jordan Knight!” If you don’t know, he is one of the New Kids on the Block! Thankfully my gratitude has changed over the years:)
🍽️ Take Mindful Bites – We are all probably guilty of eating too fast at times – I know I am! The beauty of a Holiday meal is there is no rush! This is a special day where we don’t have to finish the meal at our desk or on a 30-minute break. Soak up the extra time to take smaller bites, savor the meal that you or others worked hard on, and chew chew chew! You’d be surprised how little we chew when we’re mindlessly eating. Chewing your food does wonders for your digestion, and you’re less likely to overeat.
🤝 Connect – Note how your food tastes and feels! And when you’re with your family, friends, and loved ones, connect over the food. Talk about the meal or anything else on your mind. It’s not often that you gather the important people in your life together for a day, so savor that! The holidays are a time to connect with them. Leave your phones and electronic devices away from the table.
💭 Listen to your body – This one goes hand and hand with mindful bites, but make sure to recognize when you’ve had enough to eat, or when you want more! Those internal cues are there if you listen for them – they’re natural and healthy. If the food is beginning to be less appetizing, or you feel full then try taking a break. Dessert doesn’t have to come immediately after the meal. Maybe you take some time to digest and have dessert a little later.
💗 Leave the dieting mindset behind – It's important not to beat yourself up for indulging in the delicious holiday foods and desserts. Rather than labeling foods as "bad" or "unhealthy," try to shift your focus away from categorizing food. Instead, concentrate on what brings you joy and makes you feel good. Practicing mindful eating can help you release any guilt you may feel. You can still make thoughtful, mindful choices and enjoy the treats. On this special occasion, if you are allowing yourself something you don’t normally eat, please savor and enjoy that, guilt free.
The holidays can be so joyous but also very stressful. Please take time for yourself if you need to step away for a minute. Or turn down an engagement. Or simplify in some way. Remember that Hallmark movies are not real life! It’s not going to be perfect, and that’s okay.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season.
In health and gratitude,
Dr. Emily