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10 Tips for Mindful Eating…During the Holidays!

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mindful eating thanksgiving como waterEach Monday, Tiffany posts a message that provides positive energy and tips for eating more mindfully. The purpose of the weekly message is to reinforce the ideas from the talks and classes that are a part of the Como Water Membership, and to further support those living the veg-centric lifestyle. To receive our Mindfulness Mondays posts, Become A Member today.

10 Tips for Mindful Eating…During the Holidays!

The days are getting shorter. The air is getting crisper. Winter holidays and all of the yummy goodness that comes with them are coming upon us. This usually means one thing –over eating, and not just any over eating. Over eating ALL of the “wrong things.” Well, in this post, I’ll give you 10 tips for staying true to mindful eating principles … even when mac and cheese and stuffing are all around!

1. Eat the rainbow: just because it’s the holiday season, doesn’t mean, you shouldn’t still pay attention to eating as many colorful foods as possible. When thinking about your holiday menus, as yourself, do I have all of the colors of the rainbow? If not, add some fruits and veggies to the mix!

2. Don’t forget the raw foods: like so many of you, carbs dominate my holiday meals. Even still, I always try to include something raw. This year, my Thanksgiving salad is a mix of raw carrots, different types of citrus, and roasted beets. Last year, I made a raw broccoli salad. Whatever it is, include at least one raw dish in the mix.

3. Moderation, not deprivation: This time of the year only comes around, yes, once a year. So enjoy it, cherish it, laugh and eat with your family and friends, and try to exercise moderation as much as possible. Fully depriving yourself could lead to judgement if you do indulge. Moderation, though, is win-win: tasty food chock full of memories, but not so much that you feel guilty!

4. Exercise, first: Before you sit down to eat your holiday meal, engage in exercise with your guests. This could be as simple as walking around the neighborhood or as organized as running a race together. When my family came to DC for Christmas a few years ago, we went for a walk near the White House. If there are attractions near you, make it an activity, burn some calories, and watch the judgement of holiday food revelry melt away.

5. Exercise after the meal: Same logic as above. After you’ve enjoyed your meal, take a quick walk. My sis lives near the ocean in Maine. After we eat, just as the lethargy starts to set in, we head to the water. The crisp air wakes us up, we take pictures, the kids run around, and then we head home, ready for games and more laughing!

6. Speaking of laughing: Laugh! It’s a great abs workout 🙂 and keeps you happy (yes, laughing can MAKE you happy, rather than just the other way around). And a happy you, is a more mindful you.

7. Drink water: If you watched the Como Water mindful eating video, you’ll remember that we often mistake thirst for hunger. This can be exacerbated when we’re drinking alcohol. So be sure to drink lots of water during this time of the year.

8. Drink tea: Remember the 7 hungers video? Remember that one of the 7 hungers is nose hunger? Well, satiate your nose hunger during the holidays with a nice cup of aromatic tea (rather than more pie!).

9. Don’t just wait for the “big” meal: My logic on holidays used to be to wait for dinner to “spend” all of my calories during the big meal. I ate ravenously, hardly tasting the food because I was so famished. No more. Now, I eat my breakfast and lunch, just like I normally would. This way, when the “big” meal actually does come around, I enjoy it, savor the tastes and smells, eat more slowly, and actually eat more reasonable portions!

10. Say thank you: You knew it was coming. 😀 Last, but not least, practice gratitude. In my view, gratitude is the foundation for all mindfulness. Mindful eating, and mindful living in general. Say thank you. Really feel your blessings. Recognize your abundance (not what you are “missing”). Recognize all of the people who worked to get the food onto your table–the farmers who grow our food, the truckers who transport our food, the grocery store workers who stock our food, the artisans who make our plates and cups and bowls and silverware, the cooks who prepared the food. Gratitude fills your heart, mind, body, soul, not just your stomach. So fill up on the thanks and enjoy your holiday season!

Written by

Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort. Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes. Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!

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