The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. It’s a time when family and friends gather to share meals and create lasting memories. However, for many people, it can also be a season filled with anxiety and guilt, particularly when it comes to food. We are surrounded by delicious food and drink, and if we have rules around these foods, or haven’t healed our relationship with food, we can feel an immense amount of guilt and shame. This is why focusing on having a healthy relationship with all foods during the holidays (and year round) can be helpful to reduce guilt which provides us with more presence during the holiday season.
To have a healthy relationship with food, we need to tune into our body’s signals and respect its cues. When we have a more mindful approach to food and reject restrictive diets and rules (that often lead to a cycle of guilt and overindulgence), we can have a more peaceful holiday without fear of January 1st.
Here are some helpful tips to help nourish your body, mind, and soul without guilt.
Start with Self-Compassion and permission
Self-compassion is essential when approaching our relationship with food. During the holidays, it’s crucial to be kind to yourself. Understand that it’s okay to eat foods you enjoy and that a few meals, days, or weeks out of your normal routine won’t derail your life. Practice self-compassion and forgiveness when you find yourself eating more than you intended or feel comfortable with. Take each meal as a new meal, and each day as a new day.
Give yourself permission to eat, without guilt. The more you restrict the foods you enjoy, the more you will eventually eat, and when you do, this “f-it” mentality will lead to amplified feelings of guilt and shame. Eating a few cookies at a time is going to be much healthier mentally and physically than a dozen in one sitting.
Prepare Your Mindset
Set realistic expectations for yourself during the holiday season. Recognize that you may eat more and less, and that’s perfectly normal. Embrace the idea that the holidays are a special time to enjoy food, tradition, and company. Trying to stick to a strict set or food rules is stressful. Instead of focusing on controlling your food, focus on savoring the food, community, and season.
Listen to Your Body
Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues. Listen to your body when you’re hungry and listen when it says it’s had enough. If you are feeling like you are in a “scarcity mindset” around food, take a moment to assure yourself that there will always be more delicious food. Leftovers can make a great lunch or easy dinner to enjoy later. This simple practice can help create more food security and less urgency around food. Listening to your body’s signs that it needs something is one of the best ways we can honor ourselves this season.
Refrain From “Saving Up” Your Calories
Before attending holiday gatherings or meals, don’t “save up” your calories throughout the day. If you know you’ll be enjoying a festive dinner, eat a well-rounded breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout the day. Not eating enough before a large meal will cause you to feel chaotic around food and will likely lead to you eating more than you’re comfortable with.
Savor the Experience
Eating mindfully involves savoring your food, enjoying flavors, textures, and aromas. During holiday meals, remember to take a few moments to engage in conversation, chew, taste your food, and notice the textures. Slowing down not only enhances the dining experience but also helps you recognize when you’re full.
Prioritize Foods You Truly Enjoy
During the holidays, there’s often an abundance of food choices. Instead of trying everything, focus on enjoying dishes you genuinely love. When you eat foods you enjoy, you’re more likely to feel satisfied. If you don’t love pumpkin pie or green bean casserole, don’t eat it.
Practice Gratitude
One of the beautiful aspects of the holiday season is the opportunity to express gratitude. Practicing gratitude for the food on your plate, the people you’re sharing the meal with, and the abundance in your life is a great way to connect with yourself and those around you. When you’re grateful for the food and the hands that prepared it, you are less likely to engage in negative self-talk or criticism.
Incorporate Movement for Joy, Not Punishment
Movement and exercise can be a great way to connect with family and can help provide a moment of alone time if you are stressed or overwhelmed, but it should never be used as a punishment or exchange for eating. Allow yourself to engage in physical activities if they bring you joy. This may look like awinter hike, a family walk, or dancing in the kitchen while cleaning up after a meal. If you’re stressing about getting a workout in or spending hours running or at the gym, this is inherently disconnecting you from loved ones. Allow the holidays to be a moment of much needed rest for your body after a busy year. Movement and exercise should always be about celebrating your body, not about trying to “burn off” holiday calories.
Reflect
After the holiday season, take time to reflect on your relationship with food and what you want to cultivate in the new year. If you want to work on improving your relationship with food and nutrition habits, you can book a session with one of our Registered Dietitians below!
Being more mindful and present with food during the holiday season can bring you and your family more peace and joy. Practice self-compassion and mindfulness so that you can create a memorable and fulfilling holiday. Enjoy the festivities, savor the flavors, and relish the togetherness with loved ones. Happy Holidays!
