The holiday season can be a very difficult time when it comes to nutrition. With so many delicious treats and traditions around food, many people find themselves indulging in more ‘unhealthy’ foods than they usually would, and this can be accompanied by tremendous feelings of guilt and sadness.
Here’s a few ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ for supporting your physical and mental health this holiday season.
Do:
-Enjoy your favourite holiday treats!
As we all know, food is an important part of our holiday celebrations! Allow yourself to enjoy these tasty once-a-year treats. Completely restricting yourself from eating your favourite foods is likely to make you feel deprived, and may contribute to binge-eating around the holidays.
-Think about ‘Food Value’
Some foods don’t have great nutritional value, but can have value because they make us feel good, or are part of an important holiday tradition.
So during the holidays, when confronted with a potentially unhealthy food choice, try asking yourself ‘Is it worth it?’
If it’s one of your mom’s homemade gingerbread cookies that you’ve been looking forward to all year, then the answer is probably YES! If it’s your neighbour’s not-so-special fruitcake, then maybe it’s okay to turn it down.
-Fit in some healthy foods
When holidays parties and celebrations run on for weeks, it can wind up being a long time since your last serving of veggies! Try to make an effort to fit in some healthy meals between festivities when you can.
-Make time for physical activity
The holidays are a busy time, but try to fit in some exercise when you can! This could mean going to the gym, or it could be as simple as taking the stairs at work, or parking at the far-end of the parking lot when going shopping
-Set boundaries with family and friends
There can be a lot of talk about weight, diets, and New Year’s resolutions during the holidays. It’s okay to set boundaries with family and friends about not talking about these things around you. Protect your mental health!
Don’t:
-Skip meals to ‘make up’ for holiday indulgences
Skipping meals in preparation for a big event, or not eating afterwards to ‘make up’ for over-indulging is NOT a good idea. This behaviour can contribute to binge-eating patterns, as well as the guilt/dieting cycle.
Instead, try to leave the guilt behind, and get back to your healthy habits as soon as you’re ready.
-Exercise to ‘burn off’ what you ate
Physical activity can be a fun and joyful part of the holidays. It’s awesome to get outside for a walk, play in the snow, go skiing, or simply go to the gym if that’s your jam.
But please don’t force yourself to spend hours trying to burn off calories from holiday treats. Just enjoy the holidays, leave the guilt behind, and get back to your healthy habits as soon as you can.
-Beat yourself up
Trying to say no to everything unhealthy during the holidays is very likely to result in disappointment.
Enjoy your holiday treats, turn down the things that aren’t so appealing, and eat however much of each treat you need to feel satisfied. Also remember to take care of your mental health at this sometimes-stressful time of year!
And most importantly, have a very happy holiday season!
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