6 Simple Tips to Navigate Holiday Eating
Holidays can be stressful for many reasons, and especially stressful for people on a journey to a better relationship with food.
Why are we so stressed out?
- Changes in mealtimes
- Different “comfort” foods
- Traveling
- Seeing family after a long time apart
- Dressing up for family meals
- Family members’ comments about appearance
Guess what?
You can still eat intuitively during the holidays!
Holidays are a wonderful part of life, and you should be able to enjoy them fully guilt-free! Food does not need to contribute to your holiday stress.
Here are some strategies to reduce holiday food stress from Team Temecula Dietitians:
- Don’t wait until the holidays to eat “holiday food”
- Restricting delicious foods lead to binges later
- Allow yourself unconditional permission to eat these foods all year long.
- Focus on the positive
- Valuable family and friend time
- Sharing new and traditional recipes
- Honor your hunger and your fullness
- Try to maintain some of your normal eating patterns to avoid “hanger”
- Make sure to eat snacks and meals while preparing for the holidays
- If you have kids, sitting down with them for their meals and snacks is a great reminder to take care of yourself too
- You don’t need to “save up” calories or “earn” ANY kind of food
- Remind yourself that you can have this food anytime, so you don’t need to eat beyond your comfort level for fear it won’t be available later
- Responses to judgement from others
- Change the subject
- Remind them that it is none of their business
- “You don’t need to worry about my plate”
- “I know best what my body needs”
- Excuse yourself from the room or the conversation. You don’t owe anyone explanation for your plate or your body!
- Find affirmations that resonate with you
- I trust my body to tell me what it needs
- Food is more than just fuel
- I deserve to be nourished and satisfied
- I am grateful for my body bringing me to where I am today
- Progress over perfection
- I choose self-care over self-control
- Show yourself compassion
- Sometimes you’ll eat beyond physical comfort, and that is okay! If this happens, try to wait out the discomfort by distracting yourself or talking with a close friend about how you feel.
- Remember that a single meal, or day, or week of eating “comfort” foods will not make a difference in your weight or health in the long run
- Especially prioritize self-care! Try to squeeze in a bubble bath, a walk, a nap, or a funny movie.
XO, Team Temecula Dietitians
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