mindful drinking

A lot of the nutritional focus at Christmas goes to what we are eating. Let’s face it, most of us over cater for our holiday celebrations and we spend the last part of the evening cling-wrapping dishes and trying to palm excess food off to our guests. (“No, SERIOUSLY take some home”).

But, what about what we drink? Can we keep a lid on the Christmas calories just by focusing on what’s in our cup? …Yes, indeed! With a bit of mindful drinking.

What is Mindful Drinking?

Mindfulness is about slowing down and paying attention to the small details that often pass us by. Mindful eating is about being aware of our food choices and savouring each mouthful. This way we get the most out of our food. Mindful drinking, by extension, is building awareness around the things we drink. By paying attention to our beverage choices this Christmas we can find more pleasure in what we drink and avoid feeling disappointed afterwards. (#noregrets).

Alcohol

I am not going to lie, my family and I really enjoy sharing a glass of wine or a beer with one another. And there’s no time where this happens more than at Christmas! A few glasses of red or a cocktail helps everyone relax and get into the Christmas spirit, right?

At most Christmas parties you’re likely to find beer, wine, cider and cocktails and of course it’s okay to want to unwind after a long year with a nice frosty beverage. But as we all know, alcoholic drinks come with a caloric price tag and it can be easy for your energy intake to creep up with a few glasses of Christmas cheer.

What’s more, we are all far more likely to snack and nibble on other Christmas treats once good old alcohol has lowered our inhibitions. Conscious food choices go out the window.

If you are trying to manage weight over the festive season, alcohol is a pretty clear area to target. I’m not saying you have to abstain (I won’t be), but I do suggest prioritising when and where you want to have a couple of drinks.

Mindful drinking with alcohol:

  • Map out your Christmas calendar. When are your work parties happening? When are you catching up with friends? How many family gatherings do you have?
  • Pick the events you want to drink at and the ones you don’t. There is no right or wrong here, it just comes down to what you feel comfortable with.
  • Develop and practice some dialogue for when you are offered alcohol and you didn’t plan on drinking. Most of the time people are offering because they want to make sure you’re comfortable and having a good time. Or they are pushing because they want to feel comfortable with their choice to drink. You don’t have to explain your choice but knowing where they are coming from can help to reassure others that you’re okay and you don’t mind if they have a drink.
  • Offer to drive to an event.
  • If you are choosing to drink, alternate with mineral water or another beverage.
  • Listen to your body and ask ‘Do I really feel like it now?’ or ‘Will I be happy with this choice later?’. The answer can be yes, in which case you have made a conscious choice.

Soft drink

We know that sugar sweetened beverages like soft drinks aren’t healthy options. They are high in energy and very low in nutrients. But, for many people soft drinks a synonymous with parties and celebrations.

In our household, the only time we ever had soft drink in the fridge was at Christmas. Mum and Dad would buy a box of Coke cans for Christmas day and we would be drinking them for weeks afterwards.

While it would be great to avoid the unnecessary sugar in soft drinks, it’s not harmful to include these drinks at parties and celebrations. Perhaps, similar to alcohol, it’s about making conscious choices over when, where and how you want to drink soft drink.

  • Rather than stocking the fridge and pantry with all the possible flavours ‘just in case’, pick one or 2 flavours and buy enough to drink on the day or at the one occasion.
  • Try Kate’s handy tip for leftover soft drink on Daily Dollop Ep. 3 on Youtube.

Diet beverages

James Kuhn wrote a fascinating article on artificial sweeteners, which explores why they may (or may not) be good for us.

If you are trying to manage weight over the Christmas season, swapping to a diet soft drink is a simple way to watch your calories. But, that’s the only favour it’s doing for you. Diet or ‘Sugar Free’ beverages aren’t harmful if you’re drinking them on special occasions, but they don’t have any health benefit either.

Enjoy diet soft drinks at parties and celebrations, but don’t have the fridge and pantry stocked. Once the festive season is over, get back to hydrating with water.

Water

Good old H2O can feel a bit left out of the beverage department over the Christmas period. He’s much more likely to be loaded into a pistol, pumped into a balloon, or cool you off with a swim, than used to toast a celebration. Poor water!!

But, staying well hydrated is so important over the warmer months. Drinking water can help you feel better during the Christmas period.

Research in athletes has shown that being dehydrated increases the perceived effort of an activity and can inhibit performance. The same applies for the everyday person. When we aren’t well hydrated, everything seems harder. Couple that with alcohol lubricated Christmas parties which go late into the night, and it’s easy see why you can feel a bit flat the next day. Drinking water throughout the day and in between other drinks will leave you much better off.

The bonus of alternating water with other beverages is that you reduce the number of calories you drink over a time. Instead of getting through a 6 pack at one gathering, you’ll probably end up having 3 or 4. Even if you do have all 6, you have given your body a bit of buffer to process that alcohol. WIN WIN WIN with water.

More mindful drinking with water:

  • Track your water intake at parties and events. There are lots of apps to help you with this.
  • Mark a bottle or jug with goals for water consumption throughout the day. Spacing it out reduces the chances of becoming ‘busting’ for the loo.
  • Make a ‘mocktail’ for your guests by flavouring your water with fruits and small amounts of juice. Try our infused water for some added flavour.

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