Six Tips To Eat Intuitively During The Holiday Season

For many of us, becoming an intuitive eater is challenging enough, and the holiday season can make it even more complicated. With all the indulgent food and extra stimulation around, it’s common to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to process it all. If you are struggling with this season, I see you. I understand what it’s like to feel anxious by the copious amounts of food and interactions that often come with the holiday season. I’ve had my fair share of uncomfortable moments — even days — of trying to make food choices when everything felt hard. Thoughts would swirl in my head and it took years to feel comfortable around and appreciative of food. Establishing a healthy relationship with food and becoming a competent eater is difficult work! It doesn’t happen overnight, but each small choice towards freedom matters.

It’s helpful to remember that the same principles that guide you to eat intuitively throughout the year still apply here — but perhaps with a little more nuance or a few additional caveats. Let’s dig into some tips for eating intuitively during the holidays.

Permission

Our bodies want to keep us alive, so they need to be properly fed. Restriction exacerbates feeling out of control around food. Permission is so important in eating intuitively during the holidays. If it helps, repeat to yourself before a meal, snack or dessert: “I give myself permission to eat and enjoy this food.” There probably will be more indulgent food available during this season, but remember it’s temporary! Plus, much of that delicious food offered was probably made or provided by someone who cares a lot about you. Enjoy that moment with them.

Positive reminders

Perhaps the most helpful piece of navigating intuitive eating during the holidays is having a few solid positive reminders in your back pocket for when your inner critic shows up. Here’s a few that I’ve used and recommended to clients:

• My body is less judgemental of the foods I eat than my mind is
• That’s good for them, not for me (when talking or observing others)
• I can do hard things
• Food is X: a gift, essential, just food, keeping me alive

Tune into Hunger

A big misconception of intuitive eating is that we eat whatever we want all the time and never say no to food. Intuitive eating is about tuning into your body so you can best honor what foods will make it feel energized and satisfied (among other things). It’s okay to say “no” if you are feeling full, even if you’re asked more than once. It’s okay to check in midway and decide if you’d like to finish. While eating, ask yourself: “How does this feel in my mouth and my stomach? What is the texture like? Does it taste good? Am I nearing fullness or satisfaction?

Eat consistently

Because of the more indulgent offerings, you may be tempted to “save up” until a particular meal. It’s important to eat consistently so you aren’t feeling too ravenous before you start eating. Being too hungry before a meal (i.e. restricting) is a fairly sure-fire way to set yourself up for eating past fullness and feeling uncomfortable.

It’s okay to feel full

With points three and four in mind, it’s okay to feel full or past fullness during the holidays. This is a time of the year where you might not get to eat certain foods (e.g. Christmas cookies or pies, etc) very often. If you really love a particular food, it’s okay to eat too much of it. Awareness and intention is key.

This too will pass

Even with all the tips in the world, sometimes eating during the holidays is just hard. Unexpected stress or drama might make things even more chaotic. If it helps, remember that this season will pass and soon you’ll be back to your more typical eating patterns.