With
endless white elephant parties, holiday cookies, and champagne toasts
on the horizon, indulgence is simply an inevitability this time of
year—and we wouldn't have it any other way. That said, even though we're
willing to feel stuffed in the name of mom's stuffing, the resulting
food coma doesn't have to be a total guarantee.
Practicing mindful eating is a really easy way to actually savor the season's treats more while feeling less like you overdid it—because by truly learning to relish every single bite, you're able to better observe how satisfied you actually are.
Most importantly, it has nothing to do with dieting or restriction. To
the contrary, mindful eating is about maximizing enjoyment.
And there's no time like the present to give it a
go. "You can practice mindful eating at a dinner party, out to dinner,
on a date, with family, or with friends," says meditation expert Amanda
Gilbert. "As long as you are being aware while you are eating, then you
are practicing mindful eating. And you can be aware and mindful even
when eating with others."
Curious how to get started? Try Gilbert's mindful eating technique for beginners below.
Step 1: Mindful
eating begins before you even put the food in your mouth. Start by
observing the color, texture, and smell of the food on your plate. Then,
"bring awareness to the utensil and the bite of food you are bringing
up to your mouth to eat," says Gilbert.
Step 2: "Mindfully
chew and savor the bite of food itself," says Gilbert. "Notice the
aromas, textures, and pleasure of eating this one bite of food."
Step 3: Maintain that awareness as you swallow and put your utensil down. Then, repeat this technique again with the next bite of food.
"When you bring your mindful awareness to what you
are about to eat, how you eat, and to how hungry or full you become,
this greatly increases the possibility of making healthier eating
choices," says Gilbert. "It also
allows us to slow down and savor our food more so we do not end up
overeating regularly." In other words, it's an easy way to ensure that
you truly enjoy every bite this holiday season—"healthy" or not—and
evade the token food coma afterward.
by Victoria Hoff
Actually I practice this regularly and I recommend it to everyone, not only at Christmas. It is a really good way to be aware of how lucky we are eating our food. Apart from the steps mentioned in the article, I usually think about the process until my meal ended up in front of me. For example, if I am eating vegetables, I try to imagine how they have been collected, how they have been distributed or sold, how they have been cooked, etc. When I practice this technique, I realise I enjoy more eating and I feel happier.
ResponderEliminarWhat a good idea, Alberto. I'll try to put it into practice!
Eliminar