Holidays can present joys and challenges with food. “We have so many opportunities to consume food during the holidays, and a lot of that food may be more heavy, more calorically dense, more frequent than normal,” says Julia Zumpano, RD, LD and dietitian at the Center for Human Nutrition at Cleveland Clinic. Mindful eating means being fully present in the moment when eating and noticing the taste, feel, flavor, environment and context of your eating. “Mindful eating is recognizing the food, feelings and thoughts that come up when eating without judgment. It allows you to determine whether you’re hungry or not, how hungry you are, and then being able to consume food that satisfies that hunger without overeating or overconsuming,” Zumpano says.
