Satisfy your belly and your mind
The first stop on the holiday train is Thanksgiving. We all know the temptations that surround the never-ending food lists during the holiday. Is it possible to enjoy yourself without falling into a food coma? Yes, and here are some helpful tips to get you through those tempting holiday situations.
1. Be choosy
There are days that qualify as “special,” and a Thursday afternoon is not one of them. There’s no rule that you have to sample every food that your coworkers bring in or your family members bring home. Do you really even enjoy those store bought sugar cookies? Save the special occasions for the foods that you really enjoy and don’t get to have often. Have the foods that you normally don’t eat every day, like your grandma’s apple pie.
2. Mindful eating
Before sampling every dish that is in front of you, ask yourself, “Am I really that hungry?” or, “Do I really want to be eating this right now?” If the answer is “No,” then only take what you really want. When you’re eating or serving yourself stay mindful of how you feel, and what your body is telling you. This doesn’t just include during special holiday dinners, practicing mindful eating is a skill on its own and should be practiced every day. A helpful app that guides you through this is Headspace.
3. Being hungry, and staying full
If you’re planning on having a large family meal for dinner, sometimes the worst thing you can do is “save your calories for that meal.” The easiest way to sabotage yourself is to go into a meal with many choices and being hungry. Instead, a couple of hours before the holiday meal, eat a high-protein lunch or snack such as chicken with a few veggies or even a scoop of protein powder. Protein will keep you feeling full for longer, tricking your stomach into thinking it’s not “starving” when you get to that special event.
4. Food pushers, a.k.a. your grandma
It wouldn’t be the holidays without at least one food pusher. Your grandma or aunt are really just trying to be good hosts or looking for validation on their cooking skills. But sometimes the pressure leaves you with a plate full of food that you don’t even like, or you end up overeating. To beat a food pusher, start with a compliment and end with a deflection. Such as: “That looks so delicious. I’m not hungry right now, but I’ll come back for seconds.” Or, “This food was all so delicious, I literally could not take another bite.”
The holiday season can be stressful, but also fun. At the end of the day, one special dinner won’t make or break your diet. This is a great time to practice your emotional coping skills. Food should be about pleasure and socializing, not a coping mechanism for stress.
Photo obtained via Wikimedia Commons