Ah, the holidays. For most of us, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But it also brings with it a tremendous amount of pressure surrounding food. We are simultaneously being bombarded with headlines that say “THE MOST DELICIOUS CHRISTMAS RECIPES EVER” but also “HOW TO AVOID FOOD TEMPTATIONS THIS CHRISTMAS”. Our families encourage us to have seconds while also commenting on the size of our waistlines. How can you enjoy the holidays without getting caught up in toxic Christmas diet culture?
It can be difficult to enjoy your holidays without falling into the diet culture trap – but it’s not impossible. Here are 8 tricks to help you avoid food guilt this holiday season!
1. Food is an important part of many holiday traditions and you deserve to enjoy it.
Yes, food exists to fuel our bodies. But food and mealtimes have had social and traditional significance for as long as people have been gathering together. If your family is at all like my family, many of your holiday traditions are centered around food. And that’s okay.
When you eat whatever dish is special to you, remind yourself to really appreciate and savour it. Try to be in the moment, surrounded by love and enjoying something delicious. Those special holiday moments are so much more meaningful than any diet or number on a scale.
2. Only you have the right to decide if you want seconds… Or to say no if you’re feeling satisfied.
I have wasted way too much of my life making sure I didn’t eat more than anybody else at the table. If no one else got seconds at Christmas dinner, I wouldn’t either, no matter how bad I wanted another slice of my mom’s Christmas turkey.
We all have different stomachs, appetites, and food preferences. If you want seconds (or thirds), you don’t need anyone else’s approval to enjoy them. At the same time, you also get to control when you are done eating. How much you eat this Christmas is completely in your control and no one else’s.
Recommended post: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Intuitive Eating
3. Say no to “healthifying” your favourite holiday treats.
There are loads of recipes floating around online for “healthy” versions of Christmas comfort foods. I’m sure some of them are delicious and fulfilling in their own right. We don’t have to call mashed cauliflower “miracle no-carb mashed potatoes” when it’s just mashed cauliflower. Food is not good or bad; it’s just food. And all of it has a role in fueling our bodies. Healthifying our favourite foods does a disservice both to those foods and to their “healthy” counterparts.
If you want to eat potatoes, eat potatoes. But if you want to eat mashed cauliflower, that’s fine too! Your food doesn’t need to be “healthy” just to earn its place on your plate.
4. Remember that these foods are available all year long.
Seeing Christmas foods as a once-a-year treat leads to something dieticians call the “last supper mentality”. When you don’t think you’re able to eat this food at any other time of the year, it can be hard to say no even when you’re not feeling hungry.
Christmas cookies in July? Sure! Turkey dinner in March? Absolutely. Remind yourself that Christmas food doesn’t magically disappear on December 26th. Savour it while it’s extra special, but don’t feel like you will never be allowed to enjoy these foods again.
5. You do not need to earn your food.
For me, Christmas is not just a time for eating. It’s also a time to sit on my butt for a few days. Gyms are closed, it’s too cold to exercise outside, and I’d rather curl up with a Christmas movie than do bicep curls anyway.
Christmas diet culture has a different idea, though. We’re taught to believe we need to earn our food through exercise to be allowed to enjoy it – that’s simply not true. If you like exercising during Christmas, do that! But if you’d rather have some lazy time on the couch, that’s okay too. No matter what you choose, you still deserve to enjoy your food guilt-free.
Recommended post: Joyful Movement, Explained. Here’s How You Can Make Exercise Fun!
6. Avoid discussions surrounding weight or appearance.
None of us have the right to comment on someone else’s body – just like they don’t have the right to comment on ours. Practicing body-neutral talk with your family and friends can help everyone overcome diet culture.
Of course, you can’t control what other people talk about. But it can be a great time to change the conversation surrounding our bodies. Calmly and kindly start rebuking some of the claims or comments you hear other people making about food and our bodies. You might be surprised at how many people around your table need to hear what you have to say.
7. Remind yourself that it’s normal to indulge over the holidays! There is no need to be guilty.
Way too many of us are overcome with guilt after eating more than normal over the holidays. It is totally normal to enjoy lots of our favourite foods around this time of year – why do you think diet culture targets Christmas so heavily?
If you eat more than you would have liked, move on. Beating yourself up and feeling guilty about what you ate only leads to more restricting, bingeing, and misery for the rest of the year. Enjoying your food and then moving on with your life is one of the best ways I can imagine to stick it to Christmas diet culture.
Recommended post: Here’s How Body Neutrality Can Give You The Self-Love Breakthrough You Need
8. Remember that your worth doesn’t come from your weight.
If you end up gaining weight this Christmas, that’s okay. If you gain weight at any other time of the year, that’s okay too! To me, a pound or two I put on over the holidays is worth it for guilt-free, no-strings-attached enjoyment of my favourite foods.
My wish for you, and for all of us, is that we can stop measuring our lives in calories and pounds and start measuring them in laughter, happiness, and love. Your health is important – but part of being healthy is living in the moment instead of living in a prison of diet culture.
Pin me for later!
What is your favourite holiday food tradition? In my family, we have my Aunt’s lasagne every Christmas Eve and my Mom’s apple french toast bake every Christmas morning. My mouth is already watering just thinking about it! Wishing you all a happy, guilt-free Christmas as we head into this holiday season.
I absolutely love this post! Most of us struggle with the pressure of eating healthy/unhealthy during Christmas, and it is draining. The tips you share are quite insightful and doable. Thanks for sharing (: – http://papermintbooks.com/
I am so happy that you found it valuable! And you’re right, it is so draining. We should spend our time focused on the most important parts of Christmas instead of worrying about calories and pounds all the time. There’s a way to find balance. I hope you have a great holiday season!
I absolutely love this! As a woman who grew up in a body-shaming and dieting household, I am so careful about how I talk about weight with my son. This article is completely perfect!!! Thanks for sharing. I’d also love to talk to you about doing a guest blog on my blog. Email me if you are interested.
Awww Julianne, I love how much your posts normalize treating yourself and your body. I truly hope more people come across your blog, you’re doing so so amazing, love <33
Great post. I agree with all this. Moderation is key. But I can’t sit on my butt… I am a streak runner… need to get my miles in. LOL. But it is all good.
Thank you so much, Patricia! I’m so happy your running is something that brings you joy over the holidays! I’ll probably get in a couple dance workouts because they make me happy – but I won’t punish myself if I miss some. Have a great Christmas!
It’s fantastic that you are getting thoughts from this post as well as from our dialogue made at this place.
Hi my loved one! I want to say that this article is
awesome, great written and come with approximately all vital infos.
I would like to see more posts like this .
Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it
to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell
to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to
tell someone!
I’ve learn several good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting.
I surprise how so much attempt you put to create the sort
of great informative web site.
Hello there, I found your web site by way of Google even as
looking for a related matter, your website came up, it seems good.
I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there, simply became aware of your blog via Google, and
found that it is really informative. I’m going to
watch out for brussels. I’ll appreciate for those who continue this in future.
Many other people will probably be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement
account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you!
However, how can we communicate?
Right away I am going to do my breakfast, once having my breakfast coming over again to read further news.
Awesome article.
My relatives every time say that I am wasting my time here at net, but I know I am getting knowledge everyday
by reading thes pleasant articles.