The Holiday Season Without the Diet Mentality: A New Approach
- Nicole Barrato
- Oct 15, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
As we enter the holiday season, we want to challenge a narrative that re-emerges every year in nutrition media: the idea that the holidays are a nutritional threat to be survived through willpower and compensatory exercise. This framing is not only inaccurate — research shows that the amount of weight gained over the holiday season is far less than popularly believed — it is psychologically counterproductive, fueling anxiety, guilt and the binge-restrict cycles that actually drive poor dietary outcomes.
A more effective and sustainable approach is to enter the holiday season with a clear, positive nutritional framework rather than a list of rules to follow or foods to avoid. Continue your regular meal rhythm: do not skip meals in anticipation of evening events, as arriving hungry leads to less intentional choices. Continue to prioritize vegetables, fiber and protein throughout the day, leaving room for festive foods you genuinely enjoy at gatherings. And recognize that one meal — or one month of celebration — does not determine your health trajectory.
What does actually matter is what you do consistently across the other ten or eleven months of the year. Building a foundation of healthy, enjoyable eating habits that is robust enough to include holiday celebrations is the goal — not achieving perfect nutrition for eleven months and then ‘surviving’ the holidays. At NutriGreene, we help our clients build that kind of sustainable relationship with food year-round. If this is the year you want to break the holiday cycle for good, let us work on it together.
Sources
Yanovski JA, et al. A prospective study of holiday weight gain. N Engl J Med. 2000;342(12):861-867.
Denny KN, et al. Intuitive eating in young adults: who is doing it and how is it related to disordered eating behaviors? Appetite. 2013;60(1):13-19.
Ready to take the next step in your nutrition journey? Schedule an appointment at NutriGreene today. www.nutrigreene.com | (203) 429-4211 | info@nutrigreene.com
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