Between nougats, endless dinners and toasts, enjoying Christmas can be a real challenge for those who have a complicated relationship with food. Lots of meals, treats everywhere, and the social pressure to “try everything” can turn what should be joyful times into difficult situations to deal with.
In this context, learning to manage your diet during the holidays does not mean giving up pleasure, but rather finding strategies that allow you to feel more confident and peaceful about eating. Belén Galiani Mejías, care coordinator of the TCA area and dietitian-nutritionist of the Galiani Center, shares with 20 minutes some practical tips for Christmas meals can be experienced in a more conscious, healthy and anxiety-free way.
1. Remove Restrictions
To manage and enjoy Christmas meals in a calm and healthy way, it is important to remember that “restrictions only generate more anxiety, especially during social events”. As Belén Galiani explains, “If I’m at a meal and I limit myself out of fear of the repercussions that what I eat may have, The most normal thing is that my body, at another time, gives me anxiety and it will overwhelm me more. » His first advice is therefore to “manage eating without restrictions”, seeking a balance which allows you to be present without guilt.
2. Seek tranquility
Tranquility is another fundamental pillar. According to Galiani, it is advisable to “stop at the present moment, not to think that it is now or never.” Often you come with the idea of ”I will eat everything now because later I won’t be able to eat it at home”, but it is advisable to think that “everything has its place at all times”. For the expert, enjoy the food and company, without feeling like this is the only time to allow yourself certain foods, This helps you experience Christmas more consciously and relaxed.
3. Connect with the present
It is also essential to keep linked to our feelings of hunger and fullness. Belén advises “connecting and looking at yourself so that when I’m done you don’t feel like you don’t know what I did.” It involves “stopping, talking, and being present in the moment,” making eating a more mindful and enjoyable experience.
4. Avoid compromise
Avoiding subsequent compensation is another important aspect. “Eating and thinking that I won’t have dinner later or that I won’t eat tomorrow,” Galiani explains, “conditions the present moment and does not allow us to enjoy or be calm, much less manage the situation in a healthy way.”
5. Food is not everything
Finally, it is essential to remember that food is not the center of Christmas. Although gatherings are associated with it, the real goal is to “share and enjoy the company of family and friends.” The expert emphasizes that “food is an accompaniment whose sole purpose is to make us feel pleasure” and that “Christmas doesn’t define our appearance or body composition; “Real changes come from our habits and not from an isolated event.”
Christmas does not define our appearance or our body composition
Understanding this allows you to put festive food into perspective and experience the season with less pressure and more well-being. “The changes are not as immediate as our minds tell us,” concludes the expert.
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