Nourish to Flourish

With Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to talk a little bit about food, over-eating, and guilt. In our society, we know this holiday is about “stuffing” yourself with food until you are uncomfortably full. And doing so is the start of a long month of over-eating, indulgences, cookies, sweets, you-name-it; until January 1^st: a the diet industry’s favorite day. But rather than tell you how to control your plate, I want to reassure you that it is ok to enjoy the food you are eating!

I am not here to give a lecture about portion control and only eating until you are satisfied. Thanksgiving is a celebration and food is part of the way we celebrate. Don’t feel guilty about getting a second, third, or forth plate of food. Don’t beat yourself up over eating one sliver of cheesecake or a sampler of the entire dessert table. Food is for enjoyment and nourishment; not a source of guilt.

Maybe you won’t be in control of the food you eat on Thanksgiving, or any other day for that matter, and that is ok. Remind yourself that you are allowed to eat food, you have full permission to eat whatever you want; and listen to your body when you do so. It will tell you when to stop, when to get another plate, and when you may need to give it some time before enjoying the dessert table.

But this holiday season, listen to your body. And I mean really listen. Don’t deprive yourself of the enjoyment of seasonal holiday foods because restriction, or even just the thought of restriction, drives your body crazy without you even realizing it. Deprivation leads the body to do nothing but focus on that one thing you tell it it can’t have. It leads to future binges or uncontrollable eating and it doesn’t leave you satisfied. So do yourself a favor, and enjoy the season! Enjoy the cookies! Enjoy the mashed potatoes, the eggnog, the brussels sprouts, enjoy everything! And remind yourself that you have full permission to eat all of these foods.

If you are struggling at all with your relationship with food, please feel free to reach out!