Mindful Eating During the Holidays

Tis the season for family gatherings, holiday parties, and of course, great food! Are you worried choosing between your diet and indulging in the festivities? Surprise! You can do both by incorporating mindful eating over these next couple of weeks. What is mindful eating? Mindful eating focuses the actual eating experience rather than just the food. This is a concept that has to be practiced in order to truly become in tune with your body and its hunger cues. Practicing mindful eating involves becoming more aware of WHY you are hungry. Are you stressed or emotional? Is the timing and food choice just convenient? Are you gorging yourself with ham and fixings just because of the holiday tradition? The holidays are an especially important time to practice mindful eating, as a lot of the traditions revolve around food and family. Because it is so easy to overeat, mindful eating is essential. Below are some great tips to enjoy the holiday festivities, while still being mindful of what you put in your bodies.

Reflect

Are you finding yourself standing in front of the pantry ready to dive into those Christmas cookies? Before you eat, take a moment to reflect upon how you are feeling. Are you Stressed? Rushed? Bored? Sad? Angry? Hungry? What makes you want to eat those cookies? Differentiate between eating as a reaction to emotions and eating in response to physical hunger. After you have taken these few seconds to think, then you can choose if you are physically hungry and what type of food you want to eat.

Serve out your portions in a smaller plate

The holidays are a time to “treat yourself,” but how much is too much? It is good for the soul to indulge in your mom’s famous casserole, your cousin’s delicious chocolate brownies, or some of Santa’s cookies. However, it is important to watch portion sizes of these treats. To avoid over-indulging, grab a bite or two of each of your favorite treats and fill a small napkin or snack plate (instead of a large dinner plate). Filling a smaller plate, like a salad or snack plate, will help you avoid overeating, especially when there is an abundance of food on the table.

Avoid cleaning your plate

Have you been brought up to finish everything on your plate before you left the table? This is common for many of us, but you don’t have to finish everything on your plate. Leftovers can always be boxed up and taken with you!

Listen to your body

The key to avoiding overeating throughout the holiday season is listening to your body. Your body will tell you when you’ve had enough to eat or if you need more. A major sign of fullness is when food isn’t as enjoyable or appetizing as it was when you began the meal. This is important to look out for, as internal physical hunger cues can be disrupted for certain people, like those with eating disorders or diabetes. After eating, wait about five minutes before going back for seconds, as this can also help your body become more aware of hunger and fullness cues.

Eat normal throughout the day before going to holiday parties

When it comes to big gatherings, we tend to restrict our food intake during the day in order to “save calories” for later on. Because you are depriving your body of nutrients, you will most likely overeat or binge at the holiday parties. If you eat normally during the course of the day, your body won’t be as hungry later on and you can still enjoy your favorite foods in reasonable amounts.

Apple and Kale Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing

Try bringing a healthy side dish to family gatherings this year! This Kale and Apple Salad from Eat with Clarity is full of phytonutrients, healthy fats, and fiber.

Ingredients:

Salad

• 1 bunch curly kale

• 1 and 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (about 1/2 cup uncooked)

• 1 large apple (I like honeycrisp)

• 1/4 cup walnuts

• 1/4 cup pomegranate airls

Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)

• 1 and 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

• 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. De-stem the kale and add to a colander. While warm water is running over it, massage the kale gently to break it down to make it less tough.

2. After about 1 minute, transfer to a cutting board and pat dry with a towel.

3. Chop into small, bite size pieces and transfer to a large bowl.

4. Chop the apple into small piece or thin strips.

5. To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together or add to a small mason jar and shake until well combined.

6. Toss the kale with the dressing and massage with your hands to make sure every leaf is well coated.

7. Add in the rice, pomegranate, apple, and walnuts and toss together.

8. Serve immediately and enjoy!