Holiday Eating Tips/Reminders

With the holiday season in full swing, I thought it would be a good time for some holiday eating tips. They are more reminders than anything else, but it’s remembering to do the things that we already know that is often the hard part.

Avoid Over-Eating

With all the delicious food around during the holidays, it can be hard to say no to just one more bite. One more cookie, one more piece of pie, one more serving of mashed potatoes, etc. Yes it’s delicious, but if it leaves us feeling ill afterwards, it’s just not worth it. I’m guilty of this one myself, and I always regret it when I overeat.

Chew Thoroughly

You may have heard that for optimal digestion, we should try chewing every bite 30 times. For many people this is challenging. I can attest though, that it makes a HUGE difference. It makes you slow down, and ultimately helps you to avoid overeating. It also takes some of the burden off the lower digestive organs and allows them to function better. Win-win! Chewing your food thoroughly is like the holy grail of digestion improvements. Very simple, and yet not always easy to do.

You are free to NOT eat out of obligation or guilt.

Don’t Eat Too Late at Night

Try to avoid eating within two hours of bedtime. I often make this mistake, and then end up having restless sleep and don’t feel as well-rested the next day. For me, feeling good in the morning is a good motivator to remember to stick to this one.

Stop Eating Out of Obligation

People often eat out of obligation, or guilt, or a desire to be polite. Especially around the holidays, people feel pressure to eat when others are eating, regardless of whether they are actually hungry. Eating when you’re not hungry means the digestive system isn’t really ready to work at digesting more food. And so it often doesn’t do the best job at it, usually because it’s still working on digesting the last thing we ate.

Savor!

This one should be easy! And yet sometimes it isn’t. This one is also closely related to chewing thoroughly. When eating around the holidays this year, try to really taste, savor, and experience every bite a little bit more. And notice when you catch yourself on autopilot just shoveling food into your mouth. When we really taste and savor things our digestion systems tend to work better, which is hugely beneficial on many levels.

Notice when you catch yourself eating like a starved animal.

Notice When You Fail

Next time you feel gross or sick from overeating, notice it and tune into the feeling more. Don’t get down on yourself or berate yourself for doing. Simply acknowledge it, and move on. It’s an opportunity to gain valuable insight into why you may have done it, even though you know better.

Wishing you a wonderful and safe holiday season! I hope some of these tips will help remind you to perhaps make a few better eating choices this holiday season.