What happens to our eating, and how is it connected to our mental health and connections during the holidays?
Oh the holidays, a time of year that can mean many different things to many different people. Do you have anything you’re looking forward to this holiday season? I am looking forward to time with my family, and our holiday event at EFry! We will be doing some snacks, games and some giveaways for our clients and it will be wonderful to be able to share some holiday spirit.
Sometimes, this time of the year can be tough when it comes to food. Some of us might not have enough, and others might find it difficult to stop from over-indulging.
Although it isn’t specific to holidays, sometimes when I am working with client’s on food goals, tracking food intakes can be useful to keep us on track of our nutrition goals and habits unless there is a history of disordered eating, then this might not be the best strategy.
For some clients, when we do utilize tracking, it can be pen and paper tracking, and for other clients we utilize nutrition tracking apps. What are we supposed to do when it comes to the holidays? Do we keep tracking to maintain our goals, or stop tracking so we can enjoy ourselves? Generally, when working with clients, I want them to enjoy themselves and be able to learn how to enjoy food without having to stress about every part of it. However, I can also understand that sometimes that can feel like we’re losing any sense of control we might have had, and that can be overwhelming.
How do you deal with your nutrition and the festive activities and foods?
What to do about food and connection this time of year?
We have started some walking groups at EFry, along with Diane’s weekly Monday aerobics sessions. We are incorporating more ways to keep you active and opening up opportunities to participate in group classes to help deal with the stress and loneliness that sometimes comes during this time of the year.
We are also hosting a Christmas event for our clients and sponsors on Dec 23rd at the clinic. Please join us for some fun games and activities, food, christmas cookie decorating and seasonal music to help bring our community together.
There are some other community programs that host events during the holiday season to help bond and share food. Here are some local non-for profit organizations that can help you with further support:
How can I help build a healthy relationship with food this holiday season?
Although the holiday season can look different for many of us, some of us enjoy gathering with friends or family to connect over the holidays. Sometimes, this means that we are introduced to large amounts of food or large intakes of sweets. A number of the clients I work with have struggled with disordered eating at some point in their lives, so it can be difficult to find the balance this time of year. For some of us, it can be easy to feel the need to over restrict ourselves throughout the day, if we know we are attending a large dinner or event in the evening. Restriction does not work.
If you restrict yourself in the morning, you will often find that you are very hungry throughout the evening, making it difficult to balance meals and choose foods that help support your goals, while having fun and enjoying the holiday season. This season should not be about restriction (I know, it’s not that simple but I want you to be reminded of this), it should be about taking care of yourself and your loved ones, and a great way to do that is to connect over food, if you’re able to. As a registered dietitian, I recommend eating regular meals and snacks throughout the day, regardless of whether you’re going out to dinner or having dessert later on. It will be a lot easier to be mindful of the foods and portions that you are consuming, and it will help support your energy so that you can enjoy the activities and events that you plan to attend.
What about exercise?
Although I find a lot of people feel as though they’re more active in the summer, there are just as many ways to be active in the winter. We are lucky in BC to have so many close locations where we can enjoy winter sports, such as winter hiking (if you have the right shoes), winter snow shoeing (if you can borrow some snow shoes, own your own or have the ability to rent some). There are a number of parks with hills big enough to sled down (if you can be creative with DIY sled ideas) and shoveling snow can be made into a fun and active sport (who can shovel the fastest or the best?) Even if none of these sports work for you, getting some fresh air this time of the year can be really important for our mental, emotional and physical health so I encourage you to find a friend or partner or neighbour, and get outside!
It can be a confusing and difficult season. Some of us are struggling with the ability to obtain food, and others are struggling with the overindulgence of food. Both are challenging and both are easier to work through and build strategies on improving when we have help. Regardless of what you’re struggling with, we are here to help you enjoy this holiday season.
Written by: Carla Centola, RD
Registered Dietitian