Intuitive Eating During the Holidays
The holidays are finally here! Being somewhat of a Christmas baby (birthday is the 23rd), makes the holidays my favorite time of year. I love the joy, love and comfort the holiday season brings but most of all I LOVE the food.
Every family has their own meal traditions when it comes to the holidays, but more often than not, the one thing we have in common is that there is a lot of food. Big meals combined with the hustle and bustle of the season can make it hard to slow down, listen to our bodies and not over/under eat.
Here are some good ways to maintain an intuitive mindset while enjoying the holiday season:
Eat throughout the day: For some reason, many of us have grown accustomed to refraining from eating the day prior to our holiday dinners in an attempt to “save room” for the meal. In reality, food only stays in our stomach for maximum of 4 hours. Meaning if you were to properly nourish your body with breakfast (8am), lunch (12pm) and than head to your holiday party (around 3/4pm). Your stomach would have emptied itself and created plenty of room for the holiday party food. It is much healthier to nourish your body and provide yourself with energy throughout the day, so when you arrive to your gathering you are happy, awake and you won’t feel the need to binge.
Have go-to phrases: Unfortunately, sometimes we may encounter family members who, lets just say, are very vocal about what they are thinking. Whether they tend to comment on weight, body shape or if you’re eating too much/too little, it can definitely effect how we feel and eat during the holiday. This is where creating your choice “conversation changer” statements comes in handy. For example, a family member may say, “Wow you look like you have been enjoying the food in [insert city you moved to]”, a good response may be “you know the food is delicious but have you heard about the museums (or another attraction) they have?”. In this scenario you have re-routed the conversation to a non-food and non-body topic. This is definitely the non-confrontational route and you can always gently correct people if they make comments that are hurtful or uncomfortable, but if you just want to change the conversation, that is a good method to do so.
Listen to your hunger/fullness: Sometimes we may feel pressured to over-eat during the holidays because we place a lot of pressure on the food being a “once a year thing”. We may also create this “forbidden food” effect where we view certain foods as forbidden up until the holidays where we allow ourselves to indulge. This can lead to over indulgence and binge eating. Working alongside a registered dietitian, you can find ways to create unlimited permission to enjoy the foods you love so you don’t feel the need to restrict and over-eat. Tune into your hunger and fullness during the holidays to take some of the pressure off of over/under eating and give your body exactly what it wants.
Slow your roll: The fast-pace of the holidays can sometimes relay into our eating habits. Try your best to slow your eating and allow digestion to do its thing. Chew your food thoroughly and take rest between bites!
Practice gratitude: The holidays, although joyful, can be a difficult time for many, so practice gratitude for the food and loved ones you have been surrounded with. Gratitude not only is good for your intuitive eating mindset but can benefit your health overall.
For more intuitive eating tips, send an email to nutrikaywellness@gmail.com