Mindful Eating: Making Smart and Healthy Choices for a Joyful Holiday Season

The holiday season is here, and with it comes a delightful array of treats! It's the time of year when holiday cookies, pies, and other sweet delights are not just food, but a part of our festive celebrations. However, amidst all this joy, it's easy to lose track of how much we're indulging. This is where the concept of mindful eating becomes essential – it's about enjoying every bite and making conscious choices about what we eat.

Here are some tips to help you make smarter and healthier choices this holiday season:

‍Enjoy Your Favourite Holiday Foods Without Overdoing

Mindful eating involves being aware of portion sizes. Love pumpkin pie? Go ahead, have a slice – just keep it modest. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to signal fullness ⁵. Eating slowly therefore not only enhances your enjoyment but also helps in eating just the right amount.

Make Holiday Dishes Healthier

• Swap refined sugars in cookies with natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.
• Be mindful of the Nutritional Facts labels when shopping – they're your guide to healthier choices.
• Get creative with ingredients – think whole wheat or almond flour for baking. These small tweaks can make your holiday treats healthier without compromising on taste.
• When cooking or baking, opt for healthier alternatives like using less butter and choosing heart-healthy oils like olive oil. Don't shy away from experimenting – sometimes, the healthiest recipes are the most delicious!

This holiday season let's embrace mindful eating. It's about tuning into our body's hunger and fullness cues, savouring our meals, and recognizing emotional eating. Engage in joyful activities like chatting with loved ones or taking a festive stroll. This way, we eat not just to satisfy hunger, but to nourish our overall well-being.

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Reference:

1. Nelson JB. Mindful Eating: the art of presence while you eat. Diabetes Spectrum. 2017;30(3):171-174. doi:10.2337/.

2. Mindful eating. The Nutrition Source. Published July 14, 2023. Accessed December 4, 2023. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/mindful-eating/.

3. Using the Nutrition Facts label. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published April 12, 2023. Accessed December 4, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/strategies-guidelines/nutrition-facts-label.html.

4. British Heart Foundation. Top tips for portion control. Heart Matters Magazine - BHF. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/weight/perfect-portions/top-tips-for-portion-control. Published September 3, 2018. Accessed December 4, 2023.

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