Intuitive Eating + the Holidays
Hey guys! Welcome to the last week of our Intuitive Eating series. This week, we will discuss how to implement intuitive eating principles during the holiday season.
The holiday season is a wonderful time of year; filled with family, friends, and lots of yummy meals and treats.
However, if you struggle in your relationship with food, the holidays can bring lots of stress and anxiety-inducing situations involving food. Someone who might restrict year-round and think of holiday treats as “off limits” may feel out of control in these holiday food situations.
It is important to remember the intuitive eating principles during the holidays. Today, we will give you 4 actionable steps based off of these principles to be a successful intuitive eater this holiday season.
Don’t Sacrifice Satisfaction
The first and most important thing to remember during the holiday season is to never sacrifice satisfaction! We should never sacrifice satisfaction at mealtimes, especially during the holidays. Meals are supposed to be nourishing AND satisfactory.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you do not have to change your favorite holiday recipes just to try to make them “healthier.” This will reduce your satisfaction and more than likely cause overindulgence later in the day.
Instead of trying to change or take away your favorite holiday foods and recipes, focus more on what you can ADD to your holiday meals to make them more nourishing. This could look like adding another vegetable side dish to your Thanksgiving menu or drinking more water throughout the day to keep you hydrated while you cook!
2. Try New Things
Another great way to implement intuitive eating during the holiday season is to
try new recipes that sound yummy AND nourishing. It can be so fun to try new recipes with family and friends. This is an easy way to add more nourishment and fun to your meals. Some recipes that I hope to try this holiday season are Roasted Fall Vegetables and Cranberry Brie Bites. *Comment below RECIPES for us to send you these!
I am hoping to try these recipes because I love all of the flavors and they sound
delicious to me. If those recipes do not sound appealing to you, that is
OKAY! The key here is to find recipes that sound good to you. There is no right
or wrong!
3. Have a Plan
Having a plan will reduce the “out of control” feelings that sometimes present
themselves during the holiday season when it comes to food and food situations.
It is important to always remember the basics of what your body truly needs, even during the holidays. Even though it is fun and exciting, this busy season can really take a toll on our bodies if we do no properly care for ourselves.
Having a plan can look like this:
Consistency
Eating a meal or snack every 2-4 hours to keep your body fueled and satisfied
Movement
Move in a way that feels good to YOU
Listen
Listen to your body. What does it really want/need?
Balance
Including all 4 components (protein, fat, carbohydrate, and fiber) at each meal
Hydration
Drink at least 64 oz. of water per day
Freedom
Never make any food off limits!
4. Move
Lastly, find ways to make movement fun during the holidays! Movement
should never be viewed as a punishment or something that you do to “make up
for” everything that you ate at Thanksgiving dinner.
Movement will always look different for everyone, but our bodies were meant
to MOVE. It is important to find a form of movement that feels good to YOU!
The holidays bring many unique ways to move. A morning walk with family and friends to look at holiday decorations or going to the pumpkin patch or Christmas tree farm are just a few fun ways to get movement in during the holiday season.
One thing to keep in mind: you should always fuel your movement. During the holidays, seasonal treats can serve a purpose.
When preparing for your workout/movement, aim to get in 20-30 grams of carbohydrates to properly fuel your body. A small slice of pecan pie or pumpkin roll will do the trick!
I hope that you will find these tips to be helpful as we move into the busy holiday season. I encourage you to challenge your thoughts and feelings around food and the holidays with these 4 steps.
xoxo, Karley B.