Ever find yourself eating all the yummy foods, even as you're telling yourself you shouldn't? We're full of good intentions, but then we eat too much pumpkin bread, turkey, and pie, too many mashed potatoes, rolls, and other goodies. We're overcome by cute cookies, cozy hot chocolate, baklava (Please, don't forget the baklava.), and the overflowing cornucopia of all the other fun, beautiful, and delicious holiday foods. We end the season feeling mildly to thoroughly disappointed, maybe even disgusted with ourselves.

Can we just stop it already? This cycle is not healthy. (But I'm pretty sure you knew that already.)

Why do we do this?

There are a myriad of answers. Here are a few.

- We have unrealistic lists of food shoulds and shouldn'ts.

- We underestimate the stress of the season and strength of our habits with food. Remember, stress from happy things is still stress and can trigger stress responses.

- We forget how strong the emotional pull is of special recipes and treats we usually only see once a year during the holidays.

- We don't want to hurt people's feelings when they make something special for us.

- Holidays can bring up ALL the emotions. Food is often used to brighten the joy, numb the pain, or deal with any emotions in between - and that has more power than any intention we may have to "control ourselves."

What can we do about it?

Again, there are a myriad of answers. Here are the two practices I believe are not only the simplest, but also the best place to start.

1. BREATHE! Oh my gosh, is she talking about this again?! Well, yes. Yes, I am. Because it's that important and that effective. Taking the time to take a few slow, deep breaths can center us, giving us a better handle on any emotions that might be tied to our eating. It also activates our relaxation response and parasympathetic nervous system which helps our body be in the best place for optimum digestion. It creates space between the stimulus to eat and the action of eating. That space allows us to consider what we are about to do. Focusing on our breathing brings us fully into the moment, which leads to the second practice.

2. SLOW DOWN AND SAVOR. Give that food the love and respect it deserves. Be with that food. Take it in with all your senses. Don't treat it like a cheap one night stand; let it be the love of your life. You'll likely find one of two most common things happen when you do this. First, you'll appreciate it in a whole new way. It then becomes so much more satisfying and enriching that you'll find yourself needing far less of it to be fulfilled and satiated. OR - Second, you'll realize it's not really that good, maybe it's downright unpalatable. It might be the epicurean equivalent of that cheap one night stand - and you deserve better than that! Slowing down provides the opportunity to evaluate what that food really is to you, what it does for you. It allows you to find the proper place for it, whether that be an honored place or no place at all. Whatever you come to recognize about it, you end up eating less of it, because you let it satisfy you, or none of it, because you realize you don't actually like it that much. Win-win!

When we put these two practices into play, we can make it through the holidays feeling much more relaxed and reasonable around food. Rather than looking back with regret at how we've eaten, we can be content and ready to move into the new year without feeling like we need to undo what we've done to ourselves over the past several weeks.

Now, go thoroughly enjoy your holidays! Nourish your body and your soul. You have better things to do than waste time stressing over food!

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