by guest blogger Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate!

It's that time of year again for some of the best cookies on earth. How can you resist buying a box (or five) from your favorite schoolgirl? Let's face it. Those little cookies are hard to eat mindfully. Even the most conscientious eaters will admit to going a little overboard with a box of Do-Si-Dos or a sleeve of Thin Mints every now and then. Have no fear. Try these 10 psychological tricks to help you savor your stash of Girl Scout cookies mindfully.

by guest blogger Michelle May, MD, author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes

The response to Paula Deen's revelation that she has Type 2 diabetes highlights the false "either-or" dilemma that plagues our culture's approach to eating (and most other things): good or bad, right or wrong, all or nothing.

Paula Deen's popular brand was based on her audacious use of ingredients that are "evil" in this dichotomous view of healthy eating. Viewers watched in fascination and vicarious enjoyment as this sweet but naughty woman unabashedly broke "the rules." Now some of her critics are angry that she hasn't fallen to her knees, begged our forgiveness, and sworn off butter and sugar forever to pay penance and set an example for all the other sinners she led astray.

This all or nothing thinking has characterized yo-yo dieting for decades. At first, dieters are highly motivated to adhere to a strict diet of "good" food. Eventually, feelings of deprivation set in, leading to preoccupation and cravings for "bad" food, increasing sensitivity to temptations, giving in, guilt and consequently, overeating. I call this predictable pattern the eat repent repeat cycle.

by guest blogger Margaret Floyd, author of Eat Naked

If you’re committed to healthy living, this time of year can be quite a predicament. The holiday parties, the big over-stuffing dinners, the endless temptations of sweet treats and general excess. How to navigate through this minefield of dietary “don’t” without being a total killjoy?

Well, my approach to this situation might surprise you a little. I’m not going to give you a list of ways to make sure you don’t overeat at Thanksgiving dinner (that’s part of the experience, for goodness sakes!) or a list of foods to say “yes” or “no” to at the holiday party buffet table. I don’t believe in this approach for three reasons:

by guest blogger Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate

It's about time that we quit using the phrase "freshman fifteen." What's the harm? The term causes freshman a lot of anxiety. Also, talking about it can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Students may unconsciously (or consciously) eat more because they believe this is "normal." Worry about gaining weight can also trigger disordered eating habits such as restrictive dieting and binge eating.

Let's stop focusing on weight and start talking about eating healthy and more mindfully! The way students eat now can impact their health in years to come.

by guest blogger Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself without Food, Eat, Drink, & Be Mindful, and Eating Mindfully

There are many ways to eat mindlessly. It's likely that you've been reading a lot about mindless eating in the news.

In my book Eating Mindfully, I outlined several different kinds of mindless eaters. See if any of these characteristics sound familiar:

A) I tend to eat when I'm nervous, stressed or bored.

B) I tend to overeat when I am with my friends or at parties.

C) I tend to eat whenever I see food, particularly if it smells or tastes good.

D) I tend to eat at the same time of the day whether I am hungry or not.

E) I'm too busy to eat, I squeeze it in between tasks or while I'm working.

F) I tend to automatically follow diet "rules" instead of thinking through whether I want it or not.

G) I tend to eat well at meals but have difficulty during the holidays.

H) I tend to eat well during the day but snack as soon as the sun goes down.

I) All of the above

Here is nutritional therapy practitioner Margaret Floyd's wonderful video trailer for her book Eat Naked: Unprocessed, Unpolluted, and Undressed Eating for a Healthier, Sexier You .

by guest blogger Susan Albers, Psy.D., author of 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself without Food

Whether you agree or totally disagree with a plant based diet isn’t the issue. The primary benefit of seeing Forks Over Knives is that it shows change is possible. Before your client can modify their eating habits, they need hope and to truly believe that change can happen. This film successfully meets that goal. The film follows a few individuals from all walks of life and at various ages who are on multiple medications and have critically elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Within a short period of time, these individuals got off their medications and significant improved their lab results. The change is dramatic. The viewer is left with the impression that what you eat does matter to your health and that you can make changes that will significantly improve your well-being. It appears attainable and completely in reach no matter who you are or how old. In other words, Forks over Knives is likely to change the perception of the client who thinks it is a waste of time to be more mindful and attentive to what they eat.

by guest blogger Pavel Somov, PhD, author of Eating the Moment

Emotional eating is misunderstood and often unnecessarily demonized. However, emotional eating -- that is, eating to feel good, often termed "compulsive eating" -- isn't the problem. It's emotional overeating and mindless emotional eating that can be both psychologically and physically unhealthy. Emotional eating works as a coping strategy and stress reliever if approached with mindfulness and moderation.