Smart Healthy Diet

Mindful eating is a term that gets thrown around a lot. Sure, I know that I shouldn’t inhale my pizza at warp speed or plop myself in front of the TV with a bag of chips. But as the holidays (and the stress that comes with them) approach, my knowledge of mindful eating goes out the window. Three hours into stuffing my face with Thanksgiving dinner, I can barely button my pants.

So, in a conscious effort to cut back on the pecan pie, I’m reminding myself of the principles of mindful eating. No better time to appreciate my meal and savor the experience like Thanksgiving. The Center of Mindful Eating gives tips on how to make eating a positive and nourishing experience. Here’s how:

• Be aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities available through eating and preparing food.

• Choose to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor, and taste.

• Acknowledge your responses to food (likes, neutral, or dislikes) without judgment.

• Recognize physical hunger and satiety cues, and let them guide your decision to start (and stop) eating.

I’m glad to have the reminder of how to mindfully eat. Thanksgiving isn’t the only time I eat on auto-pilot–on more than one occasion have I realized I’ve eaten an entire bag of cookies without noticing I’m full. This Thanksgiving, I’m planning on slowing way down during the meal, so that I can enjoy the people around the table more than the mashed potatoes.

How are you spending your Thanksgiving holiday? Are you as nervous as I am for the free-for-all at the dinner table? What are your tips to keep from overeating?

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