5 Tips to Navigate Holiday Eating with Food Freedom
Anyone else already feel like they're ready for the holidays to be in full swing?? Since moving from Texas to Colorado in the last year and having the privilege of seeing snow capped mountains everyday I feel more ready for the most wonderful time of the year than ever.
But I also know that the holiday season also brings an increase in anxiety related to eating and body image for many women.
Does this sound familiar? You feel like you can't let yourself fully enjoy the spread of foods at Thanksgiving. You end up feel stuffed and guilty when you do let yourself “break the rules." And you definitely feel like you have to detox, diet, or “get back on track” once January rolls around.
But girl, it doesn't have to be this way! After recovering from an eating disorder and becoming an intuitive eater, I notice that I'm able to fully enjoy the holiday season more because I don't worry about food, restrict myself, struggle with overeating, or play the “on track” vs “off track” game anymore. And you can have this freedom too.
Whether you're already an intuitive eater or have no idea what that is, I'm sharing 5 tips to navigate holiday eating with food freedom:
Respect your hunger and fullness cues: Practice listening to your body's God-given signals that tell you when to eat and when to stop eating. Food will taste better when you start eating when you're moderately hungry. You'll also be less likely to overeat if you eat before you get to the point of ravenous hunger. Eating until you're comfortably full means you'll feel satisfied and content from your meal. But to fully honor your hunger and fullness cues you need to ditch your food rules and give yourself permission to enjoy all foods. Let's dive into that below!
Give yourself permission to enjoy all foods: I know, I know… this one brings up a lot of fear for most people! Giving yourself unconditional permission to eat all foods means not living by diet culture rules or disordered eating beliefs. This means not telling yourself, “I'll eat these cookies now but workout extra tomorrow.” You deserve to eat and enjoy food no matter what you've eaten today, whether you've worked out, or how you feel about your body.
Include satisfaction in your definition of health: God made food to taste good and enjoying satisfying foods is a good gift from Him. The holidays center around food as a part of our celebration. Restricting yourself only increases anxiety, stress, and food guilt. Food freedom means seeing food for more than just fuel or a way to change your body. Plus, when you choose more satisfying foods you're actually less likely to overeat. Your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health will benefit from prioritizing satisfaction in eating.
Move because it feels good, not to compensate for what you ate: Moving your body for physical exercise provides so many physical and mental health benefits. But here's the deal, if you're punishing yourself with exercise or using exercise as a means to compensate for what you ate, you might be causing more physical or mental health damages. This holiday seasons, try to listen to your body and engagement in movement that feels good mentally and physically, not just because you have to burn off your Christmas cookies. Maybe you enjoy getting out for a walk with your family or simply doing some gentle yoga or strength training at home.
Commit to not starting a diet or doing some cleanse post-holiday season: Get out of the diet culture trap of diet or weight focused New Years resolutions! Fad diets, cleanses, or unrealistic “health” goals often lead to weight cycling, which is worse for your metabolism than if you stay at the same weight! Anticipating a diet come January could also lead to a “Last Supper Mentality," which happens when we know we're about to restrict ourselves so we eat as much as we can while we're “allowed” to! Maybe this January you choose a gentle, sustainable goal like moving your body consistently, buying clothes that feel good on your current body, or investing in your food freedom journey!
If you already know that 2024 is your year to finally pursue food and body freedom, don't wait on investing in yourself and your whole health. I will be offering 1:1 and group nutrition coaching providing you with education, support, and accountability to reach your food freedom goals. I specialize in helping Christian women ditch diet culture and disordered eating by teaching intuitive eating from a faith-based perspective.