In order to remain in top shape this holiday season it would be wise for us to carefully plan and prepare our meals. It is too easy to over-indulge in heavy and unhealthy meals at this time of year so I want to give you a few simple tips for remaining mindful of your eating habits to help you stay healthy, alert and feeling alive.
Listen to Your Body
Your body has the ability to tell you everything that you need to know to understand how it is feeling at any given time. What this means is that you can actually respond to the requests and information that it gives you to figure out what it needs and what it doesn’t need.
By carefully listening to your body and paying close attention to it, you can ensure that it gets the right kind of nutrition to keep you in top shape and feeling well. Listen to your body when it tells you that it needs food, and when you hear it calling, don’t just reach for the nearest snack, go and prepare yourself a healthy nutritious meal that will provide your body with essential vitamins and nutrients. Doing this will ensure that you maintain maximum energy levels and mental alertness.
At the same time, listen to your body when it tells you that it is full. At the very moment when you know your body has had enough to eat, stop eating and don’t over-indulge. If you continue to eat even when your stomach is full, you will become bloated, lethargic and your body will struggle to cope with all the extra food. Being mindful of your body will make sure that your body works for you instead of against you.
Mindful Eating
Take your time to eat mindfully at every meal that you have. By actually paying attention to the food that you eat, while you are eating it actually allows you to understand what the body needs and what it doesn’t.
At the same time, eating slowly will allow your body to function at its very best when it comes to digesting and absorbing the food itself. You will also taste the food to a higher degree and your brain will release more serotonin because of this, which is what makes you feel good from the food you eat.
Naturally after about twenty minutes from when you begin to eat, your brain releases chemical that tell your body to stop eating, so eating slowly and mindfully will actually mean that you feel full at the right time, instead of rushing the job, making your body need to consume more food before the brain has chance to process how full or empty it is.
Smaller Is Better
Give yourself smaller portions of food on your plate and take your time to eat mindfully. Remember, if you are still hungry after eating the smaller meal, you can always go back and get a second serving, but if you pile the food up right from the start, you will be more tempted to eat the whole plate of food, even if you already feel full, simply because it is sitting right in front of you.
At the same time, if you have the strength of mind to stop eating at the exact moment that you feel full, take the plate away and put the food somewhere out of mind, either in the garbage or in the food-scrap bin. This will ensure that you don’t keep picking at the food because it is easily within reach.
Five Small Meals Instead Three Big Meals
More and more people are beginning to experience the benefits of eating five small main meals throughout the day as opposed to five large ones.
Eating smaller meals allows your body to digest and absorb food more effectively and more efficiently. It can do this because it is not overloaded with massive quantities of food all at once.
At the same time, eating large meals places more amount of stress on the internal organs and increases the chance of disease.
Along with all the benefits mentioned here, this is also one of the best ways to ensure that you remain energized and alert after eating, because your body doesn’t need to spend as much energy on processing the food.
Effective Planning to Avoid Binge Eating
Plan your diet this holiday season. Figure out a good routine of eating times and habits and you will be able to ensure that you don’t stray into over-indulgence. Figure out a healthy and balanced approach to your diet so that you can help your body to maximize its energy levels and receive all the nutritional support that it needs.
Plan your week ahead, figuring out a holistic diet and leave yourself one day where you can relax your discipline and take a day off to enjoy whatever you want. This will allow you to still eat the things that you enjoy but it will also ensure that you don’t overdo it.
Listening to your body, eating smaller meals and being mindful of the food you are eating, taking your time to experience the food rather than just quickly shoveling it all in, and carefully planning your diet this holiday season will definitely help you to remain in top shape so that you don’t have to put in as much effort to get back on track after the holidays.
Follow these simple guidelines as best as you can and be sure to stay safe, have fun, and enjoy the time with friends and family. Happy Holidays!
