You don’t have to restrict what you eat this Holiday Season. You are allowed to enjoy the food and eat as much as you’d like. Here are seven tips for eating intuitively:

1. Reflect
   Listen to your body and think: are you hungry or are you thirsty, bored or tired? This can help you determine if you need food or something else.
2. Enjoy
   Enjoy the time you have with family and friends. Don’t focus too much on what or how much you will eat.
3. Be Peaceful
   There are no bad foods. Don’t fight your cravings because this can lead to overeating later, just eat what your body is telling you it needs.
4. Diversify Your Plate
   Make sure that you are getting a variety of foods so that your body gets adequate vegetables, protein and other nutrients.
5. Savor
   Savor all of the flavors and textures of your food! Eating slowly allows your brain to catch up and may help you sense if you are full.
6. Trust Your Hunger
   Listen to your body. If you’re feeling hungry, it is ok to trust that hunger and eat food. Stop eating when you feel full. It might be helpful to take some pauses to drink some water while you’re eating to assess how you are feeling at that moment.
7. Have Compassion for Yourself
   Don’t be disappointed in yourself if you overeat, it’s totally normal. Part of respecting yourself is having self-compassion so you can work towards having a peaceful relationship with food.

If you’re already a patient, you can sign up for a cooking class or another one of our wellness programs.