How To Eat Intuitively During The Holidays

If you’re struggling with intuitive eating during the holiday season, this guide is for you! Learn how to adapt the principles of intuitive eating if you feel the urge to go back to the familiar pattern of dieting around the holidays.

The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of joy and relaxation, but for many, it can bring its own set of stressors. You may not feel like your life is anything close to a Hallmark movie.

From juggling family expectations to navigating social gatherings with loved ones, it can be a challenging time. If you’re working on intuitive eating, these stressors can feel amplified as you strive to build trust with your body and eat according to its signals. 

If the holidays are dialing up your stress levels, I’m glad that you’re here so that I can support you with tips and strategies to navigate these challenging times and hopefully make room for more peace and joy. I’m Cara, a Kansas City-based registered dietitian, ex-dieter, and now an Intuitive Eater. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can maintain your intuitive eating goals while enjoying all that the holiday season has to offer.

What is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is the opposite of a fad diet; it’s a lifestyle shift that encourages you to trust your body’s hunger and fullness cues instead of tracking calories for weight loss, following restrictive meal plans, or using an app to tell you how many points you should eat. 

Eating intuitively is about rejecting diet culture and the diet mentality, which often labels foods as “good” or “bad.” It uses aspects of mindful eating and gentle nutrition to tap into hunger cues, satisfaction and satiety cues, and unconditional permission to eat. For more on what intuitive eating means and how it can change your relationship with food, check out this comprehensive guide on Intuitive Eating. 

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: The original IE book by registered dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch shares more about the benefits of intuitive eating and silencing the food police. And once you’re finished reading, check out my list of more anti-diet books to support your journey to a better relationship with food and movement. 

If you’ve been dieting for a long time, Intuitive Eating can feel challenging…especially when social media can make it seem so simple. Spoiler: it isn’t. 

And unfortunately, the holiday season can offer additional and unexpected challenges.

What makes the holiday season so much harder?

During the holidays, the abundance of food and the pressure to indulge can test even the most seasoned, intuitive eaters. And besides, if you’re headed home for the holidays, you might be thrown into the exact environment that you’re trying to “unlearn” as an Intuitive Eater. 

Family gatherings might include comments about weight or food choices, while holiday stress can lead to emotional eating. It can be easy to forget everything you learned about the principles of intuitive eating! Recognizing these challenges is the first step in preparing to face them head-on.

Eat Intuitively by Identifying Your Triggers

Understanding what triggers stress or anxiety around food is crucial. It’s one thing for a situation to be challenging…it is worse to have a surprise situation feel difficult. If you’re feeling anxious about the holiday season, it can be helpful to have some plans and strategies in place ahead of time so that you don’t feel overwhelmed or like you’ve had the rug pulled out from under you.

• Do you have family members who are prone to talking about diets or piling on the shame talk about what’s on anyone’s plate?
• Are you going to feel distracted by certain types of foods or out of control around your favorite holiday menu items?
• Is your social media feed full of diet talk, body checking, or before & after photos?

Social media can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy or guilt, so consider unfollowing accounts that don’t align with your values. For more strategies on managing social media and maintaining a positive mindset, explore this helpful blog post.

Eat Intuitively By Stopping Diet Talk In Its Tracks

Sometimes, it can feel much harder to set boundaries with friends and family members, especially if your new perspective goes against decades of chronic dieting behavior. Remember this: You do not have to participate in diet talk or self-deprecation.

If hearing a constant stream of diet-culture messages or comments about food, movement, bodies, weight, etc., is stressful for you, disengage in any way you can. This might be politely changing the subject, arming yourself with subtle or overt responses that make it obvious you don’t want to go there, or setting other boundaries for yourself.

Try these out if you can’t physically avoid the conversation:

• “Thank you, but no thanks! This looks great, but I’m actually feeling satisfied already.”
  • Not feeling hungry? Not your favorite thing? Just don’t want to give them the satisfaction? Great. Any of those are valid reasons to decline someone’s invitation to eat. And there are plenty of other perfectly solid reasons to decline it, too. You don’t have to justify or explain your reasoning but in case you do, having a phrase like this can be helpful.
• “I’m working on not talking about food or my body in a disrespectful way. Do you mind if we change the subject?”
  • Diet talk and body-bashing language are so pervasive we sometimes don’t even notice it. But if you don’t want to hear that in conversations (and let’s be real, there are plenty of other things to talk about), you can voice that. A common reaction is surprise, but it might open their eyes to how often they engage in it and why it’s not the most important thing.
• “Good for you, not for me.”
  • Channeling my inner Amy Poehler with this one, but something short and sweet and to the point can serve well in just about any situation. It works for anything from office “challenges” to a family member’s crazy new diet and anything in between. We can recognize we all have personal choices to make, but if you’re not here for it, you’re just not. Full stop.

Eat Intuitively By Practicing A Mantra

A mantra is a phrase that you can repeat to yourself to give yourself grounding if you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed. A few of my own favorites include:

• I have the right to enjoy holiday foods without guilt or compensation.
• I am allowed to stop participating in body- or food-shaming conversations.
• It’s OK to eat past my fullness. It’s OK to skip something I don’t like.
• My weight, my health, and my worth are different and separate things.
• I make choices to improve my overall well-being, not to control my body weight.
• I can serve my health without worrying about my body size.
• This thought I’m having is temporary/untrue/unhelpful, and I can decide to still treat my body well.
• I am allowed to set boundaries because I care for myself.
• I deserve to be respected and to respect myself.

Saying these to yourself or out loud might feel awkward or uncomfortable at first. Play around with them until you land on something that rolls off your tongue a little more easily. Then, practice until the repetition makes them feel familiar and you can say them with conviction and confidence. 

Eat Intuitively While Practicing Self-Care

Self-care can’t fix everything, but it can help you cope. If you don’t already have some ideas prepped, here are a few things that can help you recalibrate or relax:

• Veg out with your favorite cheesy Hallmark holiday movie or rom-com.
• Settle in with a book or article you pegged a while back and haven’t gotten around to reading. Better yet, pair it with a cup of tea, coffee, or anything else that makes you feel comfortable and cozy.
• Get creative. Maybe you break out a craft or hobby or get together with family members to make something.
• Declutter or clean your space. Set your environment up to be one you enjoy being in.
• Blast all the obnoxious holiday music you want. And no judgement over questionable dance moves – movement of any kind can provide a much-needed outlet for stress or tension.
• Get some fresh air (weather permitting). A change of scenery can be nice, and if you’re frozen when you get back, it might take your mind off some other things for a little while.
• Dream big for the new year. No, not like a New Year’s resolution, but more like setting an intention or thinking about the goals you want to achieve. You can also reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and celebrate them.
• Practice gratitude or mindfulness. It could be something brief, but there will inevitably be something you can focus on that reminds you that your worth is not tied to the way your body looks this holiday season.
• Allow space for your feelings, and if you want to, talk to someone about them.
• Give yourself time to relax – if you can get a few moments alone to unwind and refocus, that’s great. If your day is absolutely nuts and you can’t get away, make sure you practice other forms of self-care when and where you can.

Holiday Intuitive Eating FAQs

Is it okay to eat comfort foods?

Absolutely! 

As much as diet culture would like for us to assume that food is only fuel, made up of calories, points, or macros, truly, food is so much more than fuel.

Comfort foods can provide emotional solace, and it’s important to give yourself permission to enjoy them without guilt. Remember, food is more than just fuel; it’s part of celebrating and connecting. And if you’re feeling a surge of negative emotions around the holidays, reaching for specific foods for comfort can be a short-term solution while you work on other coping skills for the long term.

For more on the role of comfort food in intuitive eating, read this blog post for more info and your permission slip to use food for comfort: Is It OK to Eat Comfort Food? Yes, It Is, And You Probably Should.

What about alcohol?

Alcohol can be part of holiday celebrations, but it’s important to understand your relationship with it. Reflect on how alcohol makes you feel and choose to drink or abstain based on what aligns with your well-being. 

For more info, look at this post: Alcohol and Intuitive Eating: Is Intuitive Drinking A Thing? And knowledge is power, so learn about standard drink measurements if you do decide to partake.

Hot tip: you don’t have to explain to anyone else if you are drinking or skipping. They’re not entitled to an explanation!

What does intuitive eating look like during the holidays?

Health is influenced by behaviors, not the number on the scale. It’s easy for us to forget, especially given the constant reminders of the looming holiday weight gain that we apparently have to avoid at all costs. 

But here’s the thing: these claims about weight gain over the holidays are exaggerated and skewed. And the same behaviors that support health the rest of the year will do exactly that during the holiday season, too.

Here are a few places to start:

• Choose nourishing foods that you enjoy eating and remove restrictions and dieting behaviors.
• Notice your hunger levels and avoid skipping meals or “saving up.”
• Find means of movement that you enjoy, whether that is structured exercise or something else.
• Establish and maintain good sleep habits.
• Take care of your mental health and access resources to support you.
• Find opportunities to connect and socialize, taking care of your personal relationships.
• Establish boundaries to protect your mental health and joy, and enforce them as needed.
• Avoid risky behavior that impacts health.

Should I work with an intuitive eating dietitian?

If you’re ready to stop DIYing your nutrition education and health goals, I’d encourage you to consider working with a registered dietitian. Your health insurance might cover your appointment costs completely! 

Support is vital when navigating the complexities of food and body image, especially during the holidays. Working with a dietitian who specializes in Intuitive Eating can provide the guidance and encouragement you need. 

For more guidance on how to find a dietitian who will support you from an intuitive eating perspective and within your budget, check out this post: How to Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist to Achieve Your Health Goals.

Eating Intuitively During the Holidays Isn’t Impossible!

Whew. You made it. If you’re still reading, I hope some of this is going to help you when the pressure of the holidays feels like it’s building.

The holidays can be a time for joy and reflection, and they don’t have to derail your intuitive eating journey. With preparation, mindfulness, and support, you can enjoy the festivities while staying true to your health and wellness goals. 

As you approach the holiday season, remember that intuitive eating is a personal and empowering path. By understanding your triggers and establishing supportive strategies, you can make choices that honor your body and mind. Celebrate this time with confidence and compassion, knowing that you are equipped to enjoy the holidays on your terms.

And if you’re looking for more support for a non-diet approach and intuitive eating, be sure to check out my Intuitive Eating Workbook. It’s full of resources and tools to help you kick the dieting mentality and find food freedom! You’ve got this, friend.

Disclosure: This post was originally published in December 2018. It has since been updated to improve the overall quality of the information and/or images.