Freedom Around Food During The Holidays
Can you believe that it’s already that time of year?! The holidays are right around the corner and I know for me, that means life is getting busy, schedules and routines aren’t consistent, and there’s a lot on my to-do list. Amidst all of this, it’s so easy to become disconnected from your body and tune out its signals.
I know when I say “freedom around food”, many people think that simply means eating whatever, whenever, and never thinking twice about it. And while this is true to a degree, taking it a step further, I think a lot of people imagine this looking like eating junk food all of the time. But I want to clarify that that isn’t actually freedom!
Freedom around food looks like being able to listen to your body and what it’s asking for without judgment.
Some days that may look like having pasta and that cookie for dessert, etc… But other times it will look like having fresh, whole foods because your body craves those too, I promise! We’ve come to think of cravings as only coming up around cookies, chocolate, chips, pizza, etc. but if we truly listen in, we’ll hear our bodies ask for nourishing foods too.
How many times have you heard someone say “I’ve gotta work off what I ate over the holidays…”? Maybe you’ve even been the one to say it. But if we think about it, is any part of that communicating love toward our bodies? Instead, I want to offer you a few simple ways to begin shifting toward a much kinder and freedom-based approach as you enter into this season.
1. Consider the HOW, Not just the what
HOW you eat is just as important as, if not more than, WHAT you eat. If you’re approaching eating from a place of fear or guilt, you could be eating the healthiest foods in the world and still not receive the nourishment you need.
When you shift to eating out of a place of kindness and love for your body and all it does for you, you can begin to enjoy foods in balance – those that nourish your body *and* those that nourish your soul.
The “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” around food are the thief of deep nourishment. So before you eat, take a moment of gratitude for the food and do a quick check-in with HOW you’re approaching that meal or snack.
2. Ditch the scarcity mindset
I find that all too often during the holidays we enter into a mindset that sounds something like “I have to eat/drink this (fill in the blank) while I can because the holidays only come once a year, and I’ll be better in January.” Sound familiar?
We trick ourselves into believing that because the holidays are a special time of year, we need to indulge in as much as possible because once our “healthier” new year begins, we won’t be able to. But is that really true? Will we not have another opportunity to enjoy a dessert or a glass of wine once the new year starts? I doubt it.
I promise, when you let go of that “this is my only time to go crazy” mentality and remind yourself that, actually, you can have it another time if you want, you’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to listen to your body and say no to what’s not going to nourish you in that moment.
3. Remember that no one knows your body like you do
I don’t know about you, but I have had my fair share of comments made about what I am or am not eating at family functions. While I’m sure that the comments are never meant to do harm, they can easily make it feel like you have to be eating like everyone else. Whether that looks like filling your plate with the same things as everyone else, having that extra drink with everyone else, etc. it can feel like there’s unnecessary pressure.
In reality, no one knows your body like you do. As you learn to listen to your body’s signals, you will come to know what it’s asking for – even if it’s different from the person sitting next to you at the table.
You don’t have to make it a big thing (I know I prefer not to), but if you feel that pressure coming from the people around you, you can simply say “You know what, I actually don’t really feel like having that right now, but I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!” And that’s all you need to say.
While I know there’s so much to be said about the topic of food freedom, I hope that these tip-of-the-iceberg thoughts are a helpful place for you to start. My goal is to equip you with tangible tools and self-reminders that will help you feel confident approaching this holiday season with grace toward yourself and the food you’ll enjoy!
As always, if this is an area you feel you’d benefit from having support in or you’re interested in learning more about, you can always reach out via the Contact Page or send me a DM on Instagram and I’d love to chat!
Talk soon!
-Audrey
