How to Eat in a Balanced Way this Holiday

The whole point of any holiday or celebration is being grateful, specifically, grateful for food, family and friendship. Yet many articles and blogs around any article are about how to deprive yourself - how to cut calories in your favourite holiday foods, how not to “overeat,” or what exercises to do to “burn off” the dessert.

Those mixed messages can make any holiday a really stressful time for eating, especially if you struggle with disordered eating.

So if you are feeling anxious about the holiday, here are some tips for how to eat in a balanced way this month.

Eat Breakfast

I don’t care how much you plan to eat on Thanksgiving or Christmas or whatever celebration is coming, your body still needs breakfast and you will enjoy your meal SO much more if you aren’t ravenously hungry. If you’ve seen me as a client, you already know this.

Breakfast is everything.

It sets the stage to balanced blood sugar levels which equals balanced energy which equals balanced mood and hormones. If you are trying intermittent fasting…cool, but most people will do better with breakfast - so after your fasting period, have breakfast. The is to feel good in your body. If that’s our goal, then eat to nourish your body with good food.

When we restrict, our metabolism slows down and then our body stores fat for survival purposes. [If interested in fasting..work with someone so that you are doing it correctly! It’s not for everyone, right away. ]

So EAT!

We have already ditched the “diet starts Monday’ mentality…yes? You have a chance to make good choices at each meal…there is zero magic in that elusive Monday, except that you are inadvertently giving yourself a ‘dopamine hit’ with the anticipation of it.

However, the best breakfast for healthy hormones does involve a good level of protein (eggs, protein powder, collagen), healthy fats (avocado, flax seeds, nut butters, coconut oil) and fibre (berries, fall fruits like apples/pears, gluten free grains). Try this delicious Pumpkin Spiced Smoothie!

Drink coffee or caffeinated beverages in moderation. And don’t forget your morning lemon water!

Eat What you Like in Moderation

If you don’t love sweet potatoes smothered in brown sugar, don’t eat them. Conversely, if you love cheesecake or stuffing and gravy, eat away!

And if you try something you don’t end up liking, you can leave it on your plate, despite what Gramma Pearl may have told you. (unless it’s your mother-in-laws favourite dish) Take small servings and plan for this! If you don’t eat what you like/want, you will eat everything else until you get that ‘taste’ you are after.

Be Thankful

Chew your food well and do not feel guilty about anything you put into your mouth or your negative thoughts about ‘said food’. [stress on the gut]. There is a reason that culturally, people pray or bless food before eating it. Take a moment to pray or be thankful and your digestion will work well as a result. Your mind is powerful. I often recommend a digestive enzyme for any meal that involves more carbs. Here is one I love. But it’s cheaper to purchase on top of the LLV…which is a supplement kit of 3, that is good for just about anyone wishing to improve their health. You’ll feel so much better having a digestion enzyme or 2 with a larger meal.

Eat for Happiness

How do you feel when you are stuffed and can’t move or ravenously hungry?

When we eat too much or too little , we generally aren’t comfortable! So yes, eat what you like but eat until you are 80 % full. It takes 20 minutes to know if you are full and so slowing down is key. If eating until you are stuffed one day a year makes you feel happy, then do it and get over it!

If you need a little self love to get back on track after indulging, my favourite essential oil is Bergamot. Delicious, uplifting and citrusy.

Slow Down

I sill remember when I was on my last cruise and watched how quickly people devoured their foods so that they could jump right to the next course. Our digestive organs get ‘stressed’ when we put too much pressure on them constantly. So slow down! Take your time, chew your food to liquid, put your fork down, have a chat, and enjoy the textures and flavours of your food. Digestion starts the minute you look at a food. Think about a lemon right now. Visualize it in your mind and see what happens. (you should notice saliva under your tongue). Your body will secrete saliva which contains enzymes that break down the starch in our foods in our mouth.

If you are eating over the kitchen sink, trying to get the kids out the door during a meal, your digestion is compromised.

Holiday feasting doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Is there anything bad about leaving the table feeling like you want to put on stretchy pants and take a nap? Again it depends what you find comfortable. I still kill myself laughing at my brother ‘getting his money’s’ worth on the cruise and his inability to buckle his pants towards the end of the 7 days. This is one day a year…and if you gain a pound or two…you’ve done it before and you know it will come off when you get back to normal.

Choose Comfort

If you know that you get moody with too much sugar or bloated when you eat gluten, try to pick other options most of the time. The ultimate goal is to feel happy, thankful and good. Don’t feel as if you have to eat something that will make you feel unwell. I like to tell my clients to eat like an athelete…because our lives today are attuned to running a marathon.

If you are living by the 80/20 philosophy and you are indulging on that 20 %, take a digestive enzyme or rub Digest Zen on your belly, or do what you need to do to digest your food well and enjoy your meal and give thanks that we are together again.

If you want to look at some of my favourite recipes on PInterest…check them out here!

If you do gain weight over the holidays, it’s OK!

Bodies naturally fluctuate within a set point range, and a time of year with typically less physical activity due to colder weather, more stress, and more holiday parties and other food focused celebrations, it makes sense that your body might move towards the higher end of yours. The average amount of weight gain over the holidays is actually quite small - but I won’t put the number here because I don’t want it to be triggering, or make anyone feel bad if they gain more than average.

Even if you do legitimately gain weight this fall, perhaps your body needed to. Having a little extra padding in the winter can be protective and a way the body keeps us warmer in the colder months. Perhaps giving yourself more permission this holiday season is part of your healing process.

What is your favourite holiday treat?