Healthy Habits During the Holiday Season
It’s nearing Thanksgiving and Christmas and we all know there is a lot of preparation that goes into these holidays, both physically and mentally. Some are excited for traditional holiday meals, some are excited to see family and friends, and others are excited for a few extra days off of work.
However, often times people actually struggle during the holidays, and many of those struggles are as it pertains to holiday food.
Here are some healthy holiday habits to get you through the holiday season!
1. Honor your hunger.
Honor your hunger! Do not "save up" for the big Holiday meal. Make sure to continue to honor your hunger signals and eat a well balanced breakfast and lunch prior to a holiday dinner. Eating a lean protein, complex carbohydrate and healthy fat at every meal will keep you fuller for longer and prevent overeating later in the day.
2. Do NOT fall into the “New Year’s Day Diet Trap”
If you are currently frustrated with your weight and thinking of dieting, do not set your start date to January 1st! When you set a start date to diet, your body starts to prepare for the food restriction to come, which triggers over eating on foods you plan to limit, and it is very likely you will gain weight during this time! This is called “last supper eating” and studies prove that even preparing to diet can actually have weight gaining consequences. What does work? Making the conscious decision to be mindful and honor your body with nutritious foods starting NOW.
3. STOP eating when food becomes less satisfying.
Our bodies know when we should stop eating, it’s making the decision to listen to it that’s up to you. Thinking about taking a piece of pumpkin pie? Go for it. But eat with attunement.
Here are 6 steps to eating a satisfying dessert with attunement:
Choose dessert after you have eaten a carbohydrate, protein and fat with your dinner.
Check in with your body to gauge how full you are, try to leave room to get yourself to a COMFORTABLE full WITH the dessert of your choice. If you are already at a comfortable full – take a time out, digest, talk to friends and put the desert of your choice aside for a time when you are hungry again.
Take a bite of your dessert – think about it's taste, texture and smell – is it everything you thought that it would be?
Eat it without distractions and enjoy.
When you notice the food is becoming less satisfying, stop eating.
Push the food away and honor your fullness.
4. Know your triggers and nurture yourself:
The holiday times can become a nest of triggers for a person that is struggling with disordered eating or even to a person that just doesn't have the best relationship with food. From the stress of seeing family members we haven't seen in a while, to the chaotic and sometimes unpredictable eating environment of other people's homes, to the actual presence of various trigger foods - - the list can go on and on. It is during these times that it is so important to load our boxes with tools and to be as nurturing to ourselves as possible.
How appropriate that Thanksgiving is coming up?!
Challenge yourself for the rest of the holiday season to wake up every morning and write a list of 10 things you are grateful for. This will start your day feeling positive, at peace, and ready to make healthy and loving decisions for yourself.
Happy Holidays to all my JuliENERGYnutrition, LLC followers.
It's been a great year and I am really looking forward to what 2017 has to bring.
Call me today: 954.655.8543 to schedule your nutrition consultation!
Have a Healthy Day,
Julie
