Navigating Holiday Eating with Intuitive Eating and Food Freedom

Written By: Alysia Vega, RD, LDN, CPT

The holidays can be a fun filled time full of joy and connection, but for many, it can bring stress and anxiety around food. Messages from diet culture as well as friend/family comments can leave us questioning our eating or feeling overwhelmed. At Karuna Wellness Studio, we believe that the holidays should be about connection, nourishment, and pleasure, not shame or deprivation. By embracing intuitive eating and food freedom, you can navigate the holidays with ease and truly enjoy the holiday season.

Let’s start with an overview, what are intuitive eating and food freedom? Intuitive eating is “a self-care eating framework, which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought” composed of 10 principles. Food freedom is “being able to eat without rules or restrictions, free of guilt and fear”.

With these two definitions in mind, let’s explore how to incorporate intuitive eating and create food freedom this holiday season.

Embracing Intuitive Eating During the Holidays

Intuitive eating (IE) encourages you to trust your body and enjoy food without guilt or restriction. Intuitive eating is based on 10 principles, and here is how they can help you during the holidays:

Reject the Diet Mentality (IE Principle 1)

During the holidays, diet culture messages are often louder than ever. Phrases such as “I shouldn’t eat that” are often heard around the holiday table and are rooted in the harmful belief that our worth is tied to what we eat or how our bodies look. Embracing this principle means letting go of the idea that holiday foods are something to fear. Instead, recognize these meals as opportunities to nourish your body and mind.

Honor your Hunger (IE Principle 2)

Even though timing of eating can be different on holidays, it is important to stay as consistent as possible and still eat breakfast and lunch. Skipping meals to “save room” for holidays meals can backfire, leading to extreme hunger and making it harder to make mindful choices. Also, who wants to go into a holiday meal feeling hangry? Not me, that’s for sure. By consistently nourishing your body throughout the day, you’ll be able to enter the holiday meal feeling mindful and satisfied, which will allow you to enjoy the holiday food.

Make Peace with Food (IE Principle 3)

Give yourself unconditional permission to eat and enjoy all foods. Restricting foods or labeling them as “bad” can lead to feelings of deprivation and an all or nothing mindset. By removing the guilt, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to savor the experience and enjoy the yummy foods without feeling out of control.

Discover the Satisfaction Factor (IE Principle 4)

There can be significant pleasure and satisfaction in the eating experience. By allowing yourself to eat what you really want, you’ll allow yourself to find pleasure in eating. Allow yourself to savor the moment as you’re eating, enjoying the connection with loved ones and appreciating the flavors and textures of every bite.

Feel Your Fullness (IE Principle 5)

This principle encourages us to listen to and honor our body’s natural signals that tell us we’ve had enough to eat. During the holidays, this can be especially difficult as there can be an abundance of food choices and we may feel less grounded into our bodies, making it more difficult to feel our fullness. I encourage you to tune into your body throughout the meal, pausing to assess hunger and fullness levels.

Challenge the Food Police (IE Principle 6)

The food police is centered around the food rules that dieting has created. I encourage you to imagine for a minute what the holidays would feel like without those food rules dictating your holiday meal. Feels pretty great, doesn’t it? These food rules only serve to disconnect you from your body’s needs. By challenging these rules, you are giving yourself the ability to honor what feels good in the moment and eat what you truly want to.

Embracing intuitive eating during the holidays can allow you to reconnect with your body, prioritize joy, and truly enjoy the foods you want without guilt or restriction.

Creating Food Freedom During the Holidays

Food freedom is all about removing guilt, fear, and rules that often accompany eating. Here are some tips to create food freedom this holiday season.

• Ditch food rules. Let go of restrictive food rules and embrace what feels nourishing and satisfying to you.
• Choose what you love. Allow yourself to eat your favorites this holiday season, you’re allowed to find pleasure in eating and enjoy your aunts pumpkin pie
• Set boundaries. Politely redirect diet talk or comments about your eating or body to protect your peace this holiday season (Look for a future blog post on navigating diet talk at the table)
• Practice gratitude. Shift the focus from food stress to the memories, connections and traditions you’re creating

The holidays are so much more than food, they’re about connection, joy and gratitude. This holiday season, I encourage you to listen to your body and allow yourself the freedom to enjoy them fully, without the side of guilt or shame. At Karuna Wellness Studio, our dietitians provide support with intuitive eating and food freedom, and can be a great addition during the holiday season. Schedule your intake today.

References:

https://www.intuitiveeating.org/definition-of-intuitive-eating/

https://www.intuitiveeating.org/about-us/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

https://www.aipono.com/blog/finding-food-freedom#:~:text=Food%20freedom%20is%20the%20ability,free%20of%20guilt%20and%20fear.