Mindful Eating for the Holidays: Class In HMB

The holidays can be an especially difficult time to manage food cravings or excessive eating. Perhaps you struggle with food cravings or eating more than you intend especially when sweets, goodies and holiday foods are on hand?

Mindfulness techniques can be applied to eating so that you can have a more balanced relationship with food, reduce your stress about food and enjoy what eat more.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is eating with intention and attention. It is a non-judgmental approach to transforming your diet and relationship to food. Mindfulness greatly decreases the struggle with food by fostering a sense of investigation, discovery and experimentation. When you eat mindfully you can replace restriction and deprivation of typical diet plans with an abundant, nourishing and enjoyable approach to eating.

The practice of mindful eating can enable you to:
· Take charge of your eating instead of feeling out of control
· Use hunger and fullness to guide your eating
· Enjoy food without overeating or guilt
· Resolve mindless and emotional eating
· Manage food cravings
· Slow down and savor your food

New Leaf Community Market to Host Class to Teach Mindful Eating

New Leaf is hosting a class led by Jason Mousel, a registered dietician, to help people struggling with food issues on Wednesday, November 8, 7-8pm in New Leaf's community classroom. The cost is $25. Jason will help you and others explore how habits drive food choices and develop a clear understanding of how you relate to food. You will learn tools to support a diet that is individualized, flexible and sustainable.

Jason will teach you basic mindfulness techniques (breath awareness, body awareness, relaxation, etc.) and specific mindful eating skills including tuning into taste, pausing prior to eating, hunger and fullness awareness.

About Jason Mousel
Jason is a Registered Dietitian (Commission on Dietetic Registration #993110) and has a Master's Degree in Nutritional Science from San Jose State University. He practices as a clinical Dietitian at Sequoia Hospital, provides nutrition counseling at the San Francisco Free Clinic and is an instructor at San Francisco State University in the Holistic Health Department. Jason serves on the board of directors for The Heal Project, providing nutrition and health education and inspiration to schoolchildren in San Mateo County.

The class will take place Wednesday, November 8, 7–8pm and the cost is $25.

Preregistration is required – register at: bit.ly/Nov-NL-HMB