A realistic approach to nutrition, family and feeling your best this holiday season
The holidays are meant to be enjoyed. They are filled with traditions, celebrations, favorite foods and, hopefully, plenty of time with the people we love. Yet for many people, the season can also bring stress – especially when it comes to trying to maintain healthy habits while surrounded by holiday treats and big family meals.
The good news? Healthy living doesn’t require perfection.
One of the most helpful ways to approach nutrition during the holidays (and throughout the year) is to think of it as an 80/20 rule. Focus on making nutritious choices about 80% of the time and give yourself room to enjoy the other 20%. Rather than worrying about every cookie, piece of pie or holiday dinner, concentrate on the habits you practice most often.
In fact, one of the best things you can do for yourself is start establishing those habits before the holiday season arrives. Schedule a checkup with your primary care provider or meet with a Registered Dietitian (RD). A professional can help you understand your individual health and nutritional needs, establish realistic goals and provide some extra coaching before the holiday calendar fills up.
When Thanksgiving and Christmas arrive, keep your plate simple. Try filling half of your plate with vegetables, one-quarter with protein and one-quarter with starches. Then, if Grandma’s pie or your favorite Christmas cake is calling your name, have a piece – and enjoy it without guilt.
One meal doesn’t determine your health, just as one salad doesn’t suddenly make someone healthy. It is the pattern of choices we make over time that matters.
Movement can also become part of the celebration without feeling like a workout. After Thanksgiving lunch or Christmas dinner, invite everyone to take a walk around the neighborhood. Put down the tablets and phones for a while and get outside with the kids. Toss a football, play a backyard game, walk the dog or simply enjoy some fresh air together.
Most importantly, remember what the holidays are really about.
Food is certainly part of our traditions, but it doesn’t have to be the main event. Let it be the accent piece to a holiday filled with laughter, conversations, traditions and time together.
And yes, family gatherings aren’t always picture-perfect either! Sometimes the holidays are full of wonderful family moments, and sometimes you may find yourself hiding in the corner with a glass of wine trying not to cry. Give yourself some grace there, too.
Forget the pressure to create a perfect holiday. Nourish your body most of the time, enjoy the foods you love some of the time, move when you can and make room for the moments that matter.
Celebrate the holiday. Celebrate the company. And let the food be the accent piece.
Jayme Limbaugh, RD, CES, is a Registered Dietitian and Exercise Specialist, founder of Crystal Coast Wellness, president of Crystal Coast Cancer Rehab Center and president of the NC Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. Crystal Coast Wellness has locations in Morehead City, Cedar Point, New Bern and Savannah.
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