I’ve got a post that has been a-brewing in the old noggin’ for a while, and that’s how to eat healthfully during the holidays using intuitive eating as a tool. Because you can absolutely have your cake (or, ya know, gingerbread) and eat it too.

By now, most of you probably know that I most closely align my eating philosophy with intuitive eating. After doing a giant research project all about it for my Journalism class this past semester, I’m even more certain that intuitive eating is the most natural and balanced approach to eating. For someone with perfectionistic tendencies and a drive to always be better, this way of eating taught me that food was never meant to be controlled and that eating should not be a constant stream of math equations in your head. It should just be…eating.

That being said, I know many people are confused about where intuitive eating ends and where plain old unhealthy eating begins. Like, if you ate no vegetables today and were only craving sweets, so you ate that, were you intuitively eating?

In my opinion, intuitive eating is more than just listening to the desires of your body; it’s also becoming mentally aware enough of your bodily needs and what feels good and what doesn’t. Meaning it’s a process to figure out that your body actually thrives on vegetables, and vegetables can taste really good, and if you fill half your plate with them, you’ll actually be much more satisfied by your meal and less likely to crave sweets later.

That being said, sometimes both the mind and body just really want a cookie. Here’s where the intuitive eating comes in. Instead of gobbling down some random cookie off the dessert table, and then eating four more, you tune in. What kinds of cookies do you actually enjoy? Okay, take one of those. Now eat it, and really taste the flavor. Do you like the cookie? Or is it kind of meh? No one is forcing you to finish the whole thing. You are perfectly allowed to eat just one bite, or three, whatever you need.

The Holidays

With Christmas behind us, a lot of the hard stuff is over, but there’s still some New Year’s parties to attend, and I thought I’d chat a little about my personal tips on staying healthy during the holidays with intuitive eating.

Of course, these tips work not just for the holidays, but I find the holidays are a very tempting time for many people to throw their hands in the air and abandon all mindful eating until the new year.

I think intuitive eating works for every season of life (barring things like eating disorders, different health issues, etc.), and I think it absolutely works during the holiday season.

But first, a story.

As you know, I work at Campus Ministry in school, and we always have a TON of treats in the office. Different cookies, crackers, etc. Normally, I don’t have any desire for those things because I strongly believe cookies should come from a bakery and not a package (#cookiesnob)

But around the holidays, as we hosted several holiday party, the quality of treats started to improve. This one day, we had a collection of Georgetown Cupcakes and this huge platter of Christmas cookies. At first, I figured, I don’t really need a sweet. I wasn’t hungry, having just eaten lunch. But as I kept sitting there, I could’t stop thinking about the cupcakes. You guys, Georgetown Cupcakes are delicious, and I don’t go there nearly often enough. So I got up and picked out this really chocolatey looking cupcake and bit into it. I remember having a feeling of mmmm yes, this is exactly what I want and need right now, and then the taste of peppermint kicked in.

Oh, I thought, this is a chocolate mint cupcake…okay.

Now, I actually really don’t like mint, and I think putting mint in chocolate is just ruining the chocolate. But I also noticed the actual cake was pure chocolate, so I took a few more bites of the actual cake part, and then I realized, I’m satisfied. That perfectly satisfied all my cravings, and I don’t need more. So I packed it up and put it away. Gone was any desire for the Christmas cookies or for any other cupcakes. I had allowed myself to eat something I was craving because cupcakes are not off limits, and I also allowed myself to finish when I wanted to be finished. That’s what I mean by intuitive eating during the holidays.

Here are a few more tips for navigating those holiday parties.

Keep your veggie intake high

Like I said, when you fill your plate about half full with veggies (you don’t need to eat boring raw carrots and broccoli; make some loaded salad or some roasted veggies), you are making sure to fill your body with vitamins and nutrients and making it less likely that you’re going to be hungry and searching for sugar an hour later.

Ask yourself, do I want it?

At holiday parties, there is usually so much food. And it’s all food you don’t see all year, so you feel like you just GOTTA eat the casserole, the ham, the pie, the cookies, and 3/4 of Grandma’s famous chocolate cake.

But the thing is, a lot of time, we don’t even love some of that food. Like, it’s fine, but if you wouldn’t choose to eat it if it was in front of you on a random other day, maybe don’t waste stomach space with it right now. It’s okay not to try everything, and tuning into what you actually want is a great way to start your eating mindfully.

Savor the flavor

We just went over how for a lot of these foods, this is your one chance to eat them for the entire year, right? So why gobble everything up in seconds without even noticing the flavors?

Take your time while eating, take pauses, sip some water, indulge in conversation. Pay attention to how your food tastes, and that way, you’ll be more likely to not overeat.

Allow yourself to indulge

‘Tis the season, so if you really want two slices of your grandmother’s apple pie because she only makes it once a year, then eat the two slices, dang it. Overeating a bit on one day isn’t going to derail anything, and it’s simply a normal part of eating. As long as eating past fullness is a conscious decision, and as long as you’ve had your veggies already, there is absolutely no reason to not let yourself live a little!

Go back to normal eating the next day

No, nothing is “over” after eating all the holiday foods for one day. Intuitive eating isn’t about perfection; it’s about the natural ebbs and flows of life and the eating that comes along with that. The holiday food has an equal level of morality as the salads you pack for lunch; neither is “good” or “bad.”

So the next day, listen to your body. Most likely it’s going to be craving lighter fare, vegetables, and less of the indulgent stuff you ate the day before. But maybe you were sent home with more of your favorite pie, and you want to eat a piece for breakfast. Eat it! It’s the holidays!

Maybe add some berries or greek yogurt on the side to make it a more filling and balanced meal. Or just eat it as is if that’s what you want, and then maybe be a little more conscious around lunch about making sure you’re getting enough fiber and protein and all that jazz.

Intuitive eating is a journey, not a destination. It’s not meant to be perfect. But it works. As long as you really do listen to yourself, body and mind, and also stay aware of what makes your body feel good, you are golden.

Happy Holidays, and may all your meals be delicious and satisfying! 🙂

 

Linking up with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud!