#1. EAT SLOW
Eating slowly allows your body time to feel full, which means you will actually eat less. I could have called this tip “Eat Less”, but eating slowly is a LOT easier to put into practice!
#2. SAVOUR EACH BITE
One way to make sure you eat slowly, is to STOP inhaling your food, and to savour each bite. With each bite, pay attention to the smells, temperatures, textures, and tastes. What is your overall experience? Does it illicit emotions or memories? Feel satisfied by enjoying the quality of the food, instead of the quantity of food.
#3. BE MINDFUL
Do you wolf down your food, while multi-tasking or zoning out? This type of mindless eating is a prime environment for overeating. When you aren’t paying attention, you can’t sense when you are full, how much you’ve eaten. To eat mindfully, practice being completely present in the moment, eating bite by bite. Savouring each bite and each moment of eating.
#4. FEEL FULL
Many of us eat until our plate is done, or until we are so stuffed we can’t take another bite. Practice tuning in with the internal signal of fullness, instead of relying on external signs, like the size of your plate. It takes about 20 minutes for the signal of fullness to reach your brain. Take 30-45 minutes to eat a meal, checking in to your level of fullness every 15 minutes.
#5. DON’T GO HUNGRY
Starving yourself all day so you can eat all you want at the holiday party is a BAD idea! When we are overly hungry, we tend to eat too quickly, too much, and make bad food choices – eating everything and anything in sight. Instead, keep your blood sugar levels on an even keel by having a light complex carb + protein snack 1 hour before the party. Try a rye cracker with some almond butter and slices pear.
Naturopathic Doctor
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