Be mindful about sugar.
Tip # 8 for the holiday season: Be mindful about sugar.
Sugar is EVERYWHERE and for many of us, it can stimulate and stress our bodies. Be prepared to find cookies, cakes, and chocolates around every corner. Every fruitcake and doughnut is an opportunity to practice mindful eating. Before you reach for a sweet, check in with your hunger levels and the emotions underneath your desire to eat as a way of building awareness. From there, if you choose to eat the snack, do so with presence and pleasure. Tune in to your senses to truly touch, smell, and taste. Express gratitude for the food and resources and hands that made it possible for you to experience this food. Notice what shifts with your relationship to food when you give yourself permission to savor it.
Mindful eating tips from the Calm team:
Jade: I find when I’m hydrated I’m more likely to feel connected with my body and know what I truly want to eat. If I feel myself getting caught up in the energy of a celebration, I slow down my eating pace. I also try to put less on my plate, so I create a point to actively check in with my needs. It empowers me to make an informed choice about what I would like.
Frances: I’ve recently reorganized the shelves of my cabinets and refrigerator to put my healthier options at eye level and my chocolate collection out of sight. I did this because I found that I was often on autopilot as I reached for a piece of chocolate. This small change makes me much more likely to check in with myself before opening the chocolate stash and mindfully decide if I want that piece.
