An integrative nutritionist’s guide to food and the festive season
As we launch towards the famous festive season, there is a huge amount of ‘wellness world’ championing out there, seducing us with the best kept secrets for how to keep those Christmas Calories down, or burn off your Chrissy weight blowout, or how to earn your slice of Christmas pudding...to name a few. (I would put the vomit emoji here if I could!).
And yes, with family and social gatherings centred around food, the festive season is widely associated with indulgence. Yet, contrary to what some nutrition experts may suggest, I say let’s take the pedal of the ‘food rules’ because food guilt, shame and fear is not something that should be served as a side dish!
As we head towards the festive season, I’ve been talking to clients who are diligent about a healthy lifestyle and their eating throughout the year. Some are concerned around how to avoid ‘over-doing it’ during the festive season.
To make this time a little easier to navigate, here are some of my thoughts:
· When it comes to special occasions, I look through a holistic lens. There are foods that nourish our bodies and foods that nourish our souls…and sometimes we need both.
· Having a positive relationship with food is very important. Food is a huge part of our culture, our identity and it is often an integral part of celebrations when it comes to family, joy and love.
· So, if you are eating at a special dinner, or another festive celebration, I say please enjoy every mouthful… because guilt and shame won’t help your mindset, nor your digestion!
· Please give yourself unconditional permission to eat the foods you enjoy when you are with the ones you love!
When I look at these occasions through a nutrition and digestive lens, I have additional tips:
· Festive meals tend to have multiple courses and an abundance of delicious food, so it’s often easy to overeat. Overeating can overload our digestive system, potentially leading to indigestion, stomach pain and distention.
· To combat this, try not to go to a function when you are feeling super hungry. Don’t ‘not eat’ during the day with the intention of ‘going hard’ at lunch or dinner. That just sets you up for overeating because you are so hungry and you’ll just end up feeling uncomfortable – often for many hours.
· Ideally, it’s best to eat a decent breakfast and some small meals across the day to combat a desire to overeat later.
· Listen and respect your body’s natural hunger cues.
· Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re comfortably full. You really don’t have to eat everything on your plate if you feel content.
· Practice mindful eating – pace yourself, chew slowly and consciously. Wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds. It takes this amount of time for your stomach and brain to communicate that you are full.
· Stay hydrated. Our bodies are around 70% water….Often people can confuse dehydration with hunger. Ensure you keep up your hydration through the day - plain water and herbal teas are good for this.
· If you do happen to overindulge, please don’t give yourself a hard time. One meal, or a few meals, will not make a major difference to your body or life…it’s the balance of food over a consecutive period of time that matters.
· Ditch any guilt or shame about over-eating foods this festive season. Remind yourself that NO foods are ‘off limits’ - except for the ones you are allergic or intolerant to or just dislike!
· And for anyone who may be feeling nervous about the possible family and friend diet or body comments that may come with the gathering, aim to have some positive strategies to navigate and deflect the comments and conversations and ensure you uphold your boundaries.
· You don’t need to justify your food choices. You are not defined by the foods you eat.
Enjoy your festive and holiday break -you definitely deserve it!
Romy Bursztyn
An Integrative Nutritionist, Health & Wellness Coach, Body Image Coach, Nutrition Educator, freestyle cook and home kitchen garden hobbyist.