Thanksgiving will be here before we know it! Since much of this holiday does in fact revolve around eating and food, why not take some time before hand to decide on how you will be present for your special meal this year.
A few months ago we were focusing on mindful eating as our go GROW! challenge. Did you try it? Was it difficult? I know for our family the biggest difficulty (besides remembering!) was to eat slowly and chew our food thoroughly. I know for a lot of families meal time can be rushed as there is always somewhere to be and something to do. This can unfortunately seriously affect digestion. Do you know when digestion starts? When you first start to think of food! Your brain already starts preparing your body for digestion. After that, the next place digestion happens is in your mouth as you chew. The more you chew, the better your body can start to breakdown the food for easier digestion.
This Thanksgiving, what if we not only enjoyed the company of our friends and family, but also TRULY enjoyed the food we were eating. What if we made it a total sensory experience? What if we focused on each bite of food’s flavor, texture, and consistency? Also the smells and the appearance? I don’t know about your meal but there are a few foods at our Thanksgiving table that we only eat at that time of year. If that is the case for you as well, even more so the reason to take the time to savor it! Sometimes our family will decide to be silly and go overboard with our favorite meal of the “Mmmmm’s!” and “Ahhhhh’s” as we eat. Funny enough? It tastes even better! Try it!
You may even find as you truly start to taste your food, you don’t even like it that much! And if so, consider not even eating it (especially if it is the not-so-healthy-category). Often times we are actually more emotionally attached to certain foods (think: comfort foods) and may find we actually don’t even love the taste. And my last tip on that matter – don’t feel pressured to be a member of the clean plate club! When your body gives you the clues that it is full, then be done. If you have guilt about being wasteful, package the food up and eat it later. Overeating comes with no positive benefits for your body!
Even if you are having a regular meal this Thanksgiving or spending it alone, you can still choose to truly experience and enjoy whatever you decide to eat that day. Have gratitude for the meal you have in front of you as many go without. Be thankful for wherever you are at in your life right now, whether it’s far from where you would like to be or better than expected. Know that things will always change and life is a journey, not a destination. Gratitude produces life changing results!
We are so thankful for you! Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and learn and grow in your health. If you are a patient in our practice, thank you for taking those steps to become healthier and happier and making our world a better place. We appreciate you! Happy Thanksgiving!