Eat Mindfully Through the Holidays

Calming the Chaos

Introduction: At the end of my last video, which was a rerun from last year 2021, my pie-eating footage was lost, and I couldn’t show you all how to do mindful eating.

However….we have one piece of pie left from Thanksgiving this year, in 2022. So I thought I would take this last piece of pie and show you how to do Mindful Eating.

First, let me share with you:

1. The definition of Mindfulness I like is: Purposefully and intentionally being aware of the present moment, including your surroundings, your thoughts, feelings, body sensations and behavioral urges, in a non-judgmental way. Noticing when your mind wanders to the past or the future, or from anything that is not right in front of you, and gently bringing it back to what’s going on right now.

2. So for example: Toothbrushing / Coffee Driniking

3. My next podcast interview is with Dr. Vic Manzo. “In that episode, (In this episode), Dr. Manzo talks about the science behind why mindfulness works in your physical brain, how it can help you calm your chaos, and also provides some of his own practices that he uses himself and with his clients.

The benefits of mindfulness I have personally experienced

a. Improved focus, concentration and mental clarity

b. Regular mindfulness practices…even 5-10 minutes per day can help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed, and stay calm during any chaos you might have, and can help you behave with more emotional control.

Introduce Dr. Vic Manzo Podcast

4. Mindful eating You can do mindful eating like you would do any other mindfulness practice: by being aware of our hunger / fullness, and use all of our senses to fully be in the present moment with our food. We can also notice any thoughts, feelings, judgments and behaviors, and then gently turn our focus and attention back to what we are eating.

First, the Brief Version

1. Slow down. Take a few breaths to become present.

2. Check in on your hunger and fullnesss (scale)

3. Observe the food, and notice any thoughts, feelings or judgments you have when looking at your food

5. Consider how that food was prepared, how it got to you, what went into making it, and then feel a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the food.

6. Enjoy your food with all your senses.

• Feast your eyes visually on the food. Notice color, texture, shape.

• Smell the food, breathing in the aroma, noticing the nuances with both nostrils.

• Taste the food, first savoring without chewing it, noticing the flavor, texture, and sensations.

• Then chew the food, staying as present as possible with each bite to fully enjoy the experience.

• Mindfully swallow when ready.

7. Taste. Pay attention to what you notice. Enjoyable or not. What am I noticing? Thoughts? Feelings? Pause.

8. Check in with hunger and fullness levels occasionally throughout the snack or meal. Remember the hunger and fullness scale, and use this as a guide as you continue eating.

Here's the link to the Hunger and Fullness Scale:

https://www.riversidecorporatewellness.com/single-post/mindful-eating-series-how-to-use-the-hunger-fullness-scale

#mindfulness #mindfuleating #pumpkinpie