How To Eat "Healthy" During The Holidays

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There is more to health than just the physical components.

We can also use nutrition to satisfy all facets of health.

The holidays are a time for ticking the boxes of social and emotional health as well.

Here are some tips on eating "healthy" during the holidays:

1. Pay attention to your hunger and fullness signals, eat mindfully and stop when satisfied

2. Pick protein and plants first (protein and plants help increase feelings of fullness)

3. Give yourself permission to indulge, enjoy food that tastes great guilt-free

4. Focus on the time in-between social meals, notice how you feel

5. Enjoy your meals

6. Drink more water

7. Keep some form of movement during this period, walking, stretching, swimming

8. Give yourself every opportunity to sleep well

Remember health is about more than food and more than one meal. It’s about your pattern of eating, overall lifestyle, social connections and mental health.

Someone once said that "One Hot Day Doesn't Make A Summer".

Enjoying your time with friends and family without the added stress of perfecting your eating habits is a major key when talking about eating during the holidays.

Acknowledge that this is the holiday season and you will be indulging because you choose to not because you must.

You are in control of your food choices and you decide if you want to eat more or if you are full.

Understanding that it is okay to indulge is a great first step.

It's perfectly ok to help yourself to an extra slice of ham, an extra scoop of potatoes or a second helping of dessert.

It’s also ok to say no when food is offered and eat what you enjoy.

It’s ok to say no multiple times, if you are repeatedly encouraged to eat more.

Not everyone has the opportunity to eat food cooked for them at this time of the year so again appreciate it - be grateful.

Appreciate the food it’s been put towards your meal and prepared by a loved one.

That being said, you don’t have to overeat in order to make someone else happy, though we know this is easier said than done with grandma.

Think about the times in-between social meals during the holidays.

Tune in to your hunger and fullness cues.

Try to rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10.

Wait until you're 7-8/10 on the hunger scale.

You may not feel hungry at your regular meal times, that's ok.

It doesn't mean intentionally skipping meals, it's just simply eating when you're hungry and not eating if you aren't.

Try to keep a "protein and plants" foundation when you do eat.

Aim for filling and satisfying meals.

You may not feel like adding carbs and/or fats with every meal. Either way is absolutely great if you are honouring your hungry, fullness and satisfaction cues.

Enjoy Your Meals

When you sit down to eat with others, do you say “enjoy your meal?”

These points come from the Japanese Dietary Guidelines:

Enjoy your meals.

Enjoy communication at the table with your family and/or other people and participate in preparation of meals

Eating whilst distracted can lead us to being less satisfied from our meals.

Focussing on enjoyment may slow down the meal.

Eating mindfully, focussing on how the food tastes.

If we are communicating with our friends of family, we may talk about how the food tastes, the textures, the smells.

All of the senses which can make us more aware of what we are eating and why.

Conversation may naturally help us pause during a meal, giving us time to check in with our fullness levels.

Having the mindset of enjoyment could also help us put down food that doesn’t taste good.

We often finish food just because it’s there, however eating something that doesn’t taste good, just for the sake of it, isn’t enjoying your meal.

The holidays are an amazing opportunity to work on enjoying meals and focussing on what you enjoy about food.

Could you take the really enjoyable parts of meals at this time of the year and extend them as habits through the next year?

Is it more enjoyable sitting at a set table? A dedicated space to enjoy the meal, rather than eating in front of the computer?

Do you realise that food tastes the best when a bit hungry, not when starving or already full?

Is it more enjoyable to stop when satisfied and know that you can enjoy delicious food again the next time you are ready to eat, not needing to eat like it’s your last meal?

Remember, health is about patterns, not individual meals or events. The pattern of your nutrition, your lifestyle, social interactions. Step back, look at the big picture and enjoy!

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References:

1. dietitian.or.jp/english/health - Japanese Dietary Guidelines

2. PMID: 21147857 - less satisfaction when eating distracted