Good Food and Good Mood
Guilt is not part of your holiday meal
Overeating can be one of the worst feelings. One minute, we are sitting down to a delicious meal that we are enjoying, and the next, we feel discomfort with our clothes feeling too tight and our bodies feeling lethargic. When this happens (and it happens to almost everyone because we are human), we often feel bad about ourselves because we think we lost willpower or lacked discipline or whatever else diet culture and perfectionist culture like to tell us. It’s not just a physical experience but also a mental one. And because I truly believe in the human experience, I refer to overeating as eating past fullness. Anyone can choose the term they think best, but based on client feedback, I think eating past fullness tends to resonate and humanize the experience.
I use the term human experience often because given the type of hustle culture and what I call “perfectionist culture” we are in, sometimes we can forget. We are not robots we are humans. With human experiences like social gatherings centered around food. We are in the midst of the holiday season right now, which comes with many festivities, and those festivities come with food that is considered celebratory. The festive aspect of many of these foods is that they aren’t in our normal rotation. These are dishes we eat occasionally, so it’s not a surprise that there is excitement for them. Food is many things and I talk of it representing culture and traditions for this very reason. It’s not abnormal to get excited and already be thinking about the mashed potatoes that will be served because your aunt has a special way of making them. Or maybe your family gathers to make and decorate the holiday cookies together. These are seasonal foods that we don’t consume often. Food comes with many memories, often food memories and good memories come with excitement.
“If you're in a good mood, food tastes good. If you're in a bad mood, it never tastes good. It's this illusion about flavor. We think we're tasting the wine in the glass, but our brain cares about everything else. The sound of the seagull, the smell of the salty sea air, the warmth of the sun on our backs - all of that is playing into the experience and top chefs are capturing that insight in the dishes they serve.” - Professor Charles Spence, experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford
Even though I talk of the human experience, I do believe that we can take steps in order to prepare and avoid the discomfort of eating past fullness. I like to say that I approach my role as a dietitian to give people tools and they can choose which tools they want to add to their toolbox. I don’t believe that there is a one-size-fits-all approach, but I wanted to write this, partly because “What do I do about overeating?” is one of the most sought-after questions during this time, but I also want to give nondiet and relatable suggestions and tips.
*Please note the below section is for educational purposes only. This is not intended for individual diagnoses. Please consult your own health, medical or other professional.*
Eat consistently
This is often the biggest mistake that some people make when preparing for festive meals. You know that all sorts of delicious food is coming, so you think you should “prepare” your body by saving up on meals and calories, and just eating the large meal at the end of the day. Here’s the catch - this has the opposite effect of what we are trying to do because often, by the time we get to that large meal, we are beyond hungry and are more in a state of hangry (adj; irritable or angry because of hunger) because we haven’t eaten and we then will eat in a hurry without fully processing (mentally) what we are eating. This can lead to eating more than we intend and an overall feeling of discomfort at the end of the day.
Eat a variety of foods
Eating a variety of foods not only during one meal but throughout the day, week, month, etc., helps us with that satisfying and satiating factor. Aside from keeping meals interesting, incorporating a variety of foods also means that we are intaking various macro and micronutrients. We would miss out on different nutrients if we were to eat the same foods every day. For example, the saying “Eat the rainbow” does have meaning. Each color of the rainbow brings unique nutritional benefits that are essential for optimal health. For example, green veggies and fruits provide you with lots of plant-based phytonutrients like chlorophyll. However, if we only stick to green vegetables, we would miss out on the much-needed benefits from red, yellow, purple, and orange fruits and vegetables. Changing up the foods we eat during the day, gets us excited, even if we aren’t aware of it.
Be present
This goes in hand with mindful eating. Mindful eating focuses on the person’s sensual awareness and food experience. It has little to do with calories, carbohydrates, fat, or protein. The intention is to help individuals savor the moment and the food and encourage their full presence for the eating experience. This works well when we are not in a hangry state and have eaten consistently. I work with preschoolers at my 9-5 job, and I do an exercise with them when they are eating, where I ask them questions and have them describe what they are eating. I think this is also helpful for adults because even when we think we are fully present and tasting the food, we might not be as mindful about it as we think. Think about the food that is in front of you. What are the colors? When you taste it, think of the textures and the flavors that stand out to you. Is it crunchy or soft? Is it sweet or salty? Really chew thoroughly. I know this sounds nonsensical, especially as adults, but when we are in a state of hurry or not truly present during the meal, it might be surprising that we cannot always answer these questions.
I ate too much, now what?
It happens because we’re humans. We’re human and there is no such thing as perfect eating. I listed tips above on how we can try to prevent eating past fullness but you know what? Sh*t happens and sometimes we will still wind up with that feeling of discomfort.
Acknowledge the feeling of discomfort and give yourself grace. Things happen even when we have the best intentions and use the tools given to us for our toolbox. I’m not even going to call these mistakes because a mistake implies that there is a level of perfection that is achievable. Again, we are human and what we can do is think about certain actions and how we can change them next time. Maybe next time you can incorporate more meals or snacks throughout the day. Maybe you can be more present while eating. We can always try to problem solve, but what we should never do is feel as though we are failures.
Wear the sweatpants. I’m not even joking. Tight-fitting clothes can put additional stress on the stomach and intestines and even cause bloating (due to the restriction of movement of gas). All those jokes about unbuttoning your pants when having eaten too much aren’t so far off. Okay, so maybe your attire doesn’t have to be sweatpants, but you should feel comfortable after a few hours of sitting and standing.
Have a cup of ginger tea. Research shows that enzymes in ginger can help break up and expel gas, which can help relieve discomfort. Ginger speeds up the emptying of the stomach, which can benefit those with indigestion and stomach discomfort. Many varieties of tea are sold on the market and you can choose the one best for your taste buds. You can also make a homemade version by taking a piece of ginger root (peeled) and boiling it in water.
A little movement can help alleviate discomfort. Now, I am NOT saying movement to burn off your meal or thinking about burning calories. Movement doesn’t mean taking a HIIT class or getting on the Peloton bike. Movement can mean going for a walk around your block if it is safe. It can mean doing some stretching or yoga poses (light beginner level) that help digestion. A little movement goes a long way and you know your body best.
Listen, I’ve been there. I love food and there are dishes that I already feel myself salivating over. Being fully present sometimes isn’t the easiest thing for me either. But I extend myself grace in times of discomfort and I think it would be helpful for others to do the same. Guilt should not be part of any meal. There shouldn’t be shame in eating because we need food for survival. Food also represents a large part of our lives socially, and this is normal and takes place in various cultures and countries. Being a human right now is hard enough, the least we can do is extend ourselves grace.
Thank you, Shana! I really appreciate your approach to food.
Have you tried freezing sliced fresh ginger root? As it thaws, it’s easy to extract the juice. I use it that way for cooking, for teas or for adding flavor to water.