Mindful Eating Tips for a Healthier, Happier Holiday

Holidays tend to blur the line between celebration and overindulgence. The availability of endless treats, combined with emotional eating, excitement, and stress, makes it easy to overdo it. But eating more mindfully keeps you connected to what your body actually needs and also lets you fully enjoy the foods you eat.

Some key benefits of mindful eating include:

• Making food more enjoyable: Taking time to notice textures, aromas, and flavors turns every bite you take into a richer experience. This allows you to fully enjoy the foods you eat rather than just going through the motions.
• Curbing overeating: Eating slowly and mindfully helps your body recognize fullness before you’ve gone too far. Not only will you enjoy the food you eat more, but you’ll give your body a chance to tell you when it’s had enough.
• Improving digestion: Eating at a relaxed pace allows your stomach and gut to do their job more effectively. This helps prevent indigestion and stomach upset and makes it more likely that your digestive system won’t rebel after a day or night of celebrating.
• Reducing stress: When you eat calmly and with awareness, you create a small moment of peace in the middle of holiday chaos. Taking time to pay attention to small details and savor the moment is a great stress reliever.
• Encouraging smarter choices: Mindfulness helps you choose foods that make you feel good—not just those that look good. This allows you to make better choices, even when those choices may be high calorie or not-so-healthy foods.

You don’t have to skip your favorite holiday dishes to eat mindfully. In fact, the goal of mindful eating isn’t to fully restrict what you eat, but rather to simply be more aware of food and the overall experience of eating. Here are some tips from the Health eCooks dietitians on how to make mindfulness a part of your holiday celebrations this season:

• Pause before you eat. Take a deep breath and notice what’s on your plate. A brief moment of gratitude can help you slow down and eat with intention.
• Chew with care. Enjoy the process of eating instead of rushing to the next bite. Get in the habit of putting your fork down between bites so you slow down.
• Start small. Serve yourself smaller portions to avoid eating more than you need. You can always go back for seconds if you’re truly hungry.
• Put away distractions. Turn off the TV and set down your phone. Being present helps you enjoy both your food and your company.
• Check in halfway. Ask yourself if you’re still hungry or simply continuing to eat out of habit. Very often, we ignore the signs that we’ve had enough until it’s too late and we feel uncomfortable.

Being the host of holiday celebrations puts you more in control of the food on the table, which can help you in your quest to eat healthy and more mindfully. If you’re planning the holiday menu, choosing lighter, more nutrient-packed dishes can make mindful eating easier since you’ll know there will be delicious foods that fuel your body rather than just filling it with empty calories.

From healthy Christmas appetizers and holiday dinner recipes to festive desserts and Christmas cookies, you’ll find a delicious selection of classics and new dishes on this site that can help everyone enjoy the holiday with a healthier twist.

Is your weakness endlessly snacking on appetizers and hors d'oeuvres? Fill the buffet table with good-for-you choices such as a festive caprese wreath, made from cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and basil leaves. Or prepare a holiday dip and veggies or tray of crowd-pleasing stuffed mushrooms.

Mindful eating doesn’t require perfection. It’s about being more aware and in tune with the foods you eat and the atmosphere surrounding the process of eating. This helps you enjoy and appreciate what you eat rather than consuming food without paying attention to the joys it can bring. And when you notice the foods that pass through your lips, you’re more apt to feel satisfied before you overindulge.

So this holiday season, focus on enjoying the food, your company, and the experiences that surround you. You’ll likely end each meal and leave each gathering more content rather than feeling like you overdid it.