4️⃣ Tips to help you feel more at peace with food during the holiday get-togethers
The easiest way to feel more at peace with literally all foods is to remove physical and mental restriction, to give yourself unconditional permission to eat in a way that is satisfying to you, especially around the holidays.
Here's why:
The more we restrict, the more our body and brain will fixate on food. We won't be able to control ourselves around fun foods we're restricting if they're still off-limits in our head.
Restriction breeds fixation.
Here are my basic tips to remove physical and mental restriction during the holidays:
1️⃣ Eat a nutrient-dense breakfast within an hour of waking.
Make sure that breakfast contains protein, fat, complex carbs, and flavor! Eating a satisfying meal is a great way to start the day because it shows your body it won't be physically restricted of energy when it literally is searching for energy to break your overnight fast. Another way to put this: cortisol (the stress hormone) is elevated in the morning in order to help us wake up. One of the easiest ways to reduce your body's naturally elevated stress level in the morning is to provide the body with sustainable energy.
2️⃣ Maintain a structured eating pattern throughout the day.
Eat a meal or snack every 3-4 hours.
I recommend going no more than 5 waking hours without eating, mainly because if we go too long without eating, we can't be mindful during our next meal. It's impossible to be compulsive and mindful at the same time. If you're eating consistently throughout the day, you'll be at a pleasant, gentle level of hunger vs ravenously hungry when you sit down to a holiday meal. If you need help figuring out what a pleasant level of hunger is,
download this Hunger/Fullness scale to make this concept more tangible!
3️⃣ Don't skip meal to “save up” calories.
Skipping meals literally makes it more likely that you will binge. Skipping meals = physical restriction. When we restrict our bodies of food and energy, it's like restricting it of air! You can only hold your breath for so long before you're gasping for air. Same concept applies to food.
4️⃣ Give yourself unconditional permission to enjoy your favorite holiday dishes.
You're allowed to say yes or no to food, especially around the holidays. If you love what you're eating, savor it. If you don't love it, you literally do not have to eat it or finish it after taking a bite or two. You don't have to make yourself uncomfortably full by finishing your plate either.
Intuitive eaters have full unconditional permission to eat, but they're also able to listen to their body. Food freedom doesn't mean saying yes to everything and eating everything; true food freedom lies in the ability to call your own shots and eat what you want in a way that honors your physical, mental, and emotional health.
