Your holiday survival list

Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, these are some important and helpful reminders for any special occasion you might have coming up.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I know that not everyone celebrates this holiday, and not everyone is USA-based, but I thought I would put together a list of some helpful reminders for any festive occasion. Given that food and gatherings go together hand in hand, I think we can all relate in some way. So below is your list and really a survival kit, if you will.

1. Please eat consistently throughout the day. This sounds counterproductive since many of us are looking forward to a large festive meal. I hear so many stories about “saving appetites” and “saving calories.” Eating consistently is not only great for keeping blood sugars stable but also prevents us from consuming more than we normally would later on at night. I want to point out that eating past fullness is not a moral failure, and many of us do it because we’re not used to the type of food we eat during the holidays, and we get excited.

2. Balance your meals. Along with eating consistently, making sure your meals and snacks are balanced with protein, carbohydrates, and fat is important. Fat is always confusing for folks, but trust me, our bodies need it. Fat takes longer for us to digest and remains in our stomach for a long time. It also leads to the release of various fullness-promoting hormones such as cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and Peptide YY (PYY.) When talking about fat, healthy fats with omega-3s come to mind, such as fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. You can also get omega-3s from plant-based foods such as walnuts and flaxseeds.

3. Wear comfy clothes! As someone who loves fashion and likes to look cute, I cannot stress enough that wearing skinny jeans with zero stretch on Thanksgiving might be a big mistake. You might feel uncomfortable when eating more than you’re used to at night, but scientifically speaking, tight clothes can also cause GI distress. Tight clothes can put stress on the stomach and intestines, causing acid reflux and heartburn. I know many people reading this are going to say their clothes are comfy, but I’m not going to argue because tightness is subjective. But a good rule of thumb is that if you feel restricted quite a bit in movement, maybe switch outfits for the night.

   

4. Stay hydrated, please. Drinking water is not limited to a big meal day only, as we should all be drinking H2O daily, but with all the festivities, we might forget. This is when those huge ass Stanley Cup tumblers would come in handy. They are so big, you can fill it, and it will last a long period of time. Bonus points if you have more than one water bottle, which you can leave in multiple rooms. Remember, drinking water helps us regulate body temperature, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep organs functioning properly. Not to mention, it also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood. Drink up!

   

5. Guilt-free eating only. There’s nothing wrong with looking forward to a meal or a certain dish. Holidays are about yummy foods, especially the ones we normally don’t eat. Guilt is not a side dish that belongs at the table. I will also add that it’s okay and very normal to eat because of taste hunger and not for the nutrient content of the food. We are going to smell delicious foods quite a bit, and that can lead us to want to sample some things. This is normal and doesn’t mean you are obsessed with food. However, eating consistently throughout the day, as mentioned in the first tip, can help with this.

6. Food is food. Food represents many aspects, which include being cultural, social, and familial. Nourishing our souls, in addition to our bodies, should be on our list as well. We don’t always have to think about nutrition when it comes to food. I know this sounds nonsensical coming from a dietitian, but it’s true. I DID not say that nutrition isn’t important, but I do think that sometimes we have an obsession with the exact amount of nutrients in a dish. Sometimes, a certain dish is going to just make our souls happy, and that’s okay.

7. Movement doesn’t have to be penance for food. I actually have a Pilates class scheduled tomorrow, not as an attempt to burn off anything but more so for peace of mind. Exercise is important for many reasons and is beneficial for the body, but it is not punishment for eating food. Food is food, and movement is movement. So no, the 5k turkey trot is not atonement for eating, nor is the Pilates class. It’s just exercise. Food and movement can coexist, in fact it can do this quite nicely.

8. Get a copy of Live Nourished: Make Peace with Food, Banish Body Shame, and Reclaim Joy. Just a shameless plug for my book here, but if you’re tired of the restrictive eating content circulating and want to read something helpful, this might be for you. I discuss diet culture and its history, but also, it’s time to talk about nutrition in an inclusive way. Give it a read or a listen (also available as an audiobook) today!

   

9. Stop healthifying everything. I’m going to close this list out by also adding that we don’t have to healthify every single dish. No one wants the macaroni and cheese to be made with fat-free cheese. No one wants a cauliflower pie crust. And I am NOT saying not to modify things for allergies or medical reasons, but just because some random influencer on the internet told you to do something doesn’t mean you have to listen to them. As mentioned above, not every single food we eat is for nutrients only. There’s so much going on in the world, please let’s enjoy the little joyful things we have.

Happy Thanksgiving, or just a regular Thursday for some of you. Enjoy!