Avoiding Holiday Eating?

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 The holidays can be filled with so many great emotions: joy, relief, relaxation, and others. But the holidays may also be occupied with some not-so-fun feelings as well: stress, depression, anxiety. These latter feelings are potentially even more prevalent this year more than any other year in recent memory due to the pandemic among other things.

But what about food? Surely knowing that you have so many comfort foods to come home to after a long day at work gives you a peace of mind every day. Right? Cookies, pies, candy canes, popcorn tins, fruitcake (for some people) and so much more have become holiday staples and are all but expected come this time of the year.

The Best Christmas Cookies Recipes - The Ultimate Collection

Well, it turns out that these foods may not hold as much solace and comfort as we might think. In fact, a recent study indicated that one of the most common feelings that come from indulging in these foods in guilt - so we're eating these foods that are meant to inspire feelings of joy and happiness but instead we feel bad about it. 

Why is this? Could it be because we feel like we've eaten too much of a certain food and we know that's not healthy? Is it because we actually did eat several cookies after a long day and now physically and emotionally feel bad? It could be all of these things. 

It's important to take care of yourself physically, and nutrition is a very important aspect of that, but this year is proven to be a trying one, and mental and emotional health is more important than maybe it ever has been. So, these foods that are supposed to evoke feelings of joy and holiday spirit should not come with feelings of guilt and displeasure. 

Here's some tips to bring back the festive and guilt-free holiday eating:

  1. Eat your meal first - don't go straight for the pie at dinner. Make sure to eat your main course first
  2. It can be hard, but don't eat because you're angry or had a bad day at work
  3. Make these treats mean something. Sit and enjoy a cookie with your significant other, really take your time and enjoy every last bite!
Hopefully this helps to ease the mind as we head into this holiday season. Enjoy this wonderful time of the year, and have that cookie!

CB

https://brighamhealthhub.org/eight-strategies-for-coping-with-holiday-stress-eating/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15022250.2016.1215871

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