Oh, holiday eating is a subject that people get so frustrated about. They want to enjoy but they want their goals. They want the best of both worlds. The holiday season is a time we fuel ourselves with fun holiday foods. If you not wanting to overdose on junk food something is wrong with you. Let me tell you when you balance bacteria and mental issues you won't crave to drown your sorrows. Anyway, that is for another day.
It is okay to want to splurge and enjoy. This can be a time that we overindulge and then kick ourselves for eating too much. This can start a nasty cycle of negative emotions toward ourselves. You should enjoy the holidays and some good foods and some of your favorite desserts and holiday dishes. Here are some things I recommend to help you feel good about your choices.
One, you have to just let yourself enjoy without regret. If you are going to beat yourself up DONT DO IT! If you can allow yourself to enjoy and not beat yourself up here are some helpful steps to keep you from going overboard. We want healthy enjoyment and habits for holidays and everyday life.
The next thing I recommend is focusing on hitting your protein macros. Protein supports the body, and a good dose of protein helps to keep you full and slow down sugar uptake. Healthy fats are important also yet in most holiday dishes they are not the healthy kind. However, getting up and fueling yourself for breakfast with healthy fat and proteins helps to balance out the blood sugar and slow down the quick digestion of the sugars.
Make your favorite dishes with quality ingredients. Instead of shortening use butter, and sugars use cane sugar, instead of high fructose corn syrup use agave or honey. There are healthy alternatives that have some kind of nutritional benefits to them. We have a tradition of making Christmas candy from scratch. I have switched out high fructose corn syrup to Agave, I have used organic cane sugar instead of just white processed sugar, organic flour. I choose the higher quality ingredients. This does a few things have some kinda or nutritional value and two it is natural so my body knows how to process it.
Being around family or feeling high expectations can be hard on people who feel they are not where they want to be in life. Do yourself a favor and look after your emotional health when entering into these holidays. Focus on actually supporting the body if you are struggling with emotions. There are adaptogens and mineral supplements, and healthy fats that can support mood. Love your body enough to support it through the stress rather than forcing negative things into the body hoping to drown out the emotions with food, drugs, or alcohol. If you are unsure of what that looks like for you message me I can help guide you.
It is a time of year to enjoy and relax. Look at all you have gotten through in the year. This isn't mean telling you to eat an abundance, or eat junk, or what to do. I am highly recommending establishing healthy habits for your physical and mental health. This can look vastly different for each person. You can enjoy these times and support your body with health and wellness. So take this year and look at what that looks like for you.
Happy Holidays to all of you wonderful people! Love you all and thank you for all your support!
Comments