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Uplift Feature: Have Peaceful Holidays with Mindful Eating

/ Healthy Living, Mental Health / By /

Holidays got you feeling busy and stressed?

Take it down a notch by finding some peace during meal time. Mindful eating optimizes digestion, reduces stress and tells your brain that you’re full.

To prepare your body for digestion you must be in a relaxed state – in the “rest and digest” mode of your nervous system.  This allows blood and digestive enzymes and juices to flow into the digestive tract.  It also stimulates nerves to create movement within the GI tract to allow food to move from the stomach and through the intestines. When you are stressed, in “fight or flight”, your nervous system is in another mode and all digestive functions stop.

Mindful Eating Facilitates:

  • Communication between your brain/nervous system and digestive tract
  • Better digestion and absorption of your nutrients
  • Satiety to feel full longer leading to less snacking and sugar cravings later
  • More even-balanced blood sugar
  • Relaxation and calmness
  • Better energy, focus and productivity within your day

Follow These Simple Steps to Eat Mindfully:

  1. SIT: Sit in a quiet, relaxing place to eat your meal.
  2. STOP: Do not multi-task while eating, such as answering emails, watching TV, working, walking around or driving.
  3. BREATHE: Take 3-5 deep breaths before eating – count to 5 during the inhale and exhale with a pause in between.
  4. PAUSE: Smell your food and notice its colors.
  5. THANK: Give gratitude for: your amazing body and its ability to use this food for fuel, the food and the farmers who grew it, or 1-2 positive things that happened today or that you’re looking forward to.
  6. CHEW: Eat slowly and chew your food – at least 10 chews with each bite. Put your fork down while chewing, and truly taste your food. Not only does this give you awareness of the flavors, chewing assists digestion since it stimulates digestive enzymes and eating slowly helps your stomach tell your brain when you’re full.
  7. PAUSE AGAIN: When you’re finished, before jumping up to your next task, pause for another 3-5 deep breaths.  Then continue on with your day.

 

 

Nutrition therapy is not intended as a diagnosis, treatment, prescription, or cure for any disease, or as a substitute for medical care. Our nutrition therapists are not licensed medical providers. Nutrition plans are not intended as a substitution for traditional medical care, nor should be interpreted as medical advice, but instead is an adjunctive and supportive therapy.