Tips for Eating During the Holidays

Do you happen to be someone who feels impending dread at the thought of the holidays because of all the food?

I completely understand. I used to feel the same way.  I can remember waking up filled with anxiety because I knew I had a holiday party to attend, and I didn’t know if I could trust myself to eat the right things and the right amount.

Over the years, I kind of feel like I enrolled myself in a decade long trust exercise with my body.  I had a hunch that she could be trusted to know what I should eat and how much and thought it might be an interesting experiment to give her a chance to prove it.    

It turns out, that our bodies are designed to seek balance, it’s their job.  They have taken on the mission of carrying our souls through our life in the best possible way so that we can accomplish some big things that the world really needs.  It’s a purpose greater than us and if we muster up a little bit of faith in that, your body will take the cue and will go above and beyond to prove it to you!

During the holidays, we might not be on the receiving end of magic these days but we can still relish in the joy and celebration of this time of year.  Yes, it involves a lot of food and I understand how rattling that can feel.  Here are some tips to get you through.

1. Check in with your body rather than trying to strong-arm her into submission.  Ask her how she feels.  Is she hungry?  What is she hungry for?
2. Don’t go to a holiday party hungry.  Eat something extremely healthy and moderately filling first, that way even if dinner is being served, you will be satisfied with small portions and healthy options.
3. Be decisive about treats.  Rather than eating it because it’s there and the host went through all the trouble to make it, ask yourself if it will truly bring you pleasure. 
4. Don’t worry about offending or hurting someone’s feelings when you decline the food they offer you.  Their guilt is their own, you are taking care of yourself, celebrate that.
5. Loosen up and have fun!  Research shows that our metabolism changes when our cortisol levels (stress hormones) are lower!