Holiday Cravings: A Guide to Enjoying a Healthy, Peaceful Holiday

December 1, 2023

Providence Health Education Team

Give yourself permission to enjoy holiday foods, without the guilt.

In this article:

Learn how to enjoy many of your holiday favorites, while still focusing on your health.
Connect with resources to help you meet your nutrition goals.
Find out how you can join a free, virtual class to learn more about healthy holiday cooking.

Holiday Foods

The holiday season is a time when we tend to focus a lot on food. Whether it's enjoying big meals with family or friends, having delicious comfort foods from our childhood, or diving into some fancy baking, food plays a big role in our celebrations. However, dealing with all the delicious meals and desserts while being out of our usual routine can be a bit overwhelming.

To make the holiday season enjoyable, it's important to make peace with food and develop some smart eating habits. Let's break down a few simple strategies:

Tips to Make Peace with Food:

While it may be tempting to save up your appetite for the holiday parties or big meals, this can lead to a low blood sugar and intensify food cravings. Avoid skipping meals and snacks. Eating throughout the day is the best strategy to avoid getting into the danger zone of ‘too hungry,’ resulting in ‘too full’.
Don't avoid your favorite holiday foods. Trying to stay away from them can make your cravings worse.
Remember, one meal or snack won't make you unhealthy. It's about balance over time.
When we tell ourselves we can't have certain foods, we end up wanting them more. It's just human nature.
Giving yourself permission to enjoy your favorite foods without strict rules can help you avoid feeling out of control.
Instead of identifying foods as good or bad, focus on how different foods make your body feel at any given time. This can help you listen to your body's natural hunger and fullness cues.
Research has shown that people who try restrictive diets tend to overeat when faced with "bad" foods.
Break the cycle of restricting and overeating by allowing yourself to eat without strict limits.
Check out these articles for more insights: Alternative Advice for the Holidays - ASDAH and Experts say it's OK to eat whatever you want over the holidays—there's just one rule

By making peace with food and approaching eating with a positive mindset, you can celebrate the holiday season with more ease and enjoyment. Remember, it's about savoring the moments and feeling good in your body!

Outpatient Nutrition and Diabetes Education Services

If you are looking for additional information and support to help you meet your health and nutrition goals, our dietitians and diabetes specialists provide counseling for people of all ages.

We can help with:

• Diabetes management – one-on-one or group classes

• Nutrition therapy for disease management

• Food allergies, intolerances, and specialized diets

• Weight management

• Disordered eating (weight cycling, restrictive eating, chronic dieting, emotional eating)

• Eating disorders

• Sports nutrition

• Pediatrics (children’s health)

• Women’s health

• Malnutrition

• Diabetes Prevention Program