How to use mindful eating to enjoy the holidays!

What's your relationship to food? 

Do you struggle to control cravings?

Find yourself over eating or binge, then feel guilty and wish you hadn't?

Try cut out multiple foods then eventually give in and give up? 

Heading into the holiday season is a time people can love and dread.

If you have a difficult relationship with food (or alcohol) it can be challenging navigating work parties, family gatherings, and celebrations 

Often we view food as 'good' or 'bad', and the emotions this creates can be complex, especially if you've struggled with weight or disordered eating

And relying on willpower doesn't work- we fail, then feel guilty, and give up - leading to yoyo dieting

In lifestyle medicine, we approach food differently - as something positive to nourish our bodies and minds, including rather than excluding foods, and in the context of the whole person 

Lack of sleep, stress, activity level, social connections, and even medications can have an impact on appetite and food choices - and our hunger queues are often highly complex

Mindful eating is something I discuss a lot - the concept of recognising WHY we are eating or drinking,  learning how to read our body, then addressing any underlying themes 

It involves a few simple steps:

Think about what you eat:

• View your body as precious and worthy of being cared for

• Think of what foods will nourish it, and what helps you to feel well

• Focus on including as many different healthful foods as possible that you enjoy, rather than on excluding

• Find foods you love that help your health

Be mindful of why:

• Identify WHY you are eating, is it actually hunger, or is it stress, boredom, sadness, or loneliness? 

• Learn to read your body's cues, keeping a diary of when you're struggling can give great insight 

• Listen to your body, and be self compassionate. You aren't a failure if you aren't perfect or 'give in', guilt  backfires. Try look within and be honest about why you're eating, then forgive yourself when you stuff up- it's the first step to healing 

Focus on the experience 

• If you mostly feed your body optimum fuel, it's also OK to have treats sometimes. And focusing on enjoyment (quality not quantity)  often helps cravings 

• Eat without distractions: research shows we are far more likely to overeat or make poor food choices if we eat while watching tv/looking at our phones /working

• Putting time aside to slow down and enjoy food is good not just for enjoyment, it actually reduces stress hormones, means our hunger cues work better, and even improves digestion! 

• Pay attention to the process of eating:

Savour the appearance of the food, the smells as you cook it, imagining how it will taste, and paying attention to the flavour and texture as you eat it. 

• If you crave a food you know isn't great, try imagining each step of eating it, then how you'll feel after. This can actually often quell cravings, the mind is powerful!! 

• Take small bites, chew each mouthful properly, and don't rush your meal. 

This not only helps digestion, it  gives your body the ability to regulate how much you eat. It takes around 20 minutes to trigger fullness hormones, and eating too quickly means you are more likely to eat too much. 

Food choices also affect fullness (studies show we are far more likely to overeat high calorie low nutrient foods ie highly processed foods. Many 'junk' foods are actually deliberately designed to make you overeat!) 

• If you struggle with portion size, try using a smaller plate so your meal looks bigger. This reduces hunger and improves satiety, ie our mind can actually control our appetite. There is a famous milkshake experiment by Yale University that demonstrated this

• Try to eat until you are only 80% full, the Japanese concept of hara hachi bu. This helps with both over and under eating, and has been linked to improved health, healthier weight, and better food choices

Most importantly - remember any sustainable changes take time, and small steady steps in the right direction is the best way to reach your goals!

 Don't give up if you struggle with this initially, it can be hard to overcome a lifetime of habits. 

Keeping sight of your goals, and working failure into the plan is a normal part of life ❤️

If you need more help, lifestyle medicine doctors, nutritionists, and dieticians are all experienced in creating personalised plans.

Stay well!!