November 23 2023 | Ashleigh Kidd, RD, LDN
Hey team! Back here again this week for a special holiday edition of fact or fiction! Want your burning nutrition questions answered? Head to our IG (@f45Training) every Thursday to play Fact or Fiction and submit your nutrition questions to be answered by your Challenge Dietitian!
Alright, let’s play!
Fact or Fiction: You should eat like you normally would leading up to your holiday meal
Fact!
It can be tempting to skip meals leading up to the meal you’re looking forward to in attempts to save up calories. But, this will more likely than not leave you feeling out of control and possibly binging once you get to that holiday meal. Instead, eat how you normally would leading up to the meal/day and aim for balance at most meals (protein fat, carb & fiber). You can read more about balancing your plate here.
Fact or Fiction: It’s ok to eat the foods you love at your holiday meal
Fact!
Give yourself the permission and freedom to eat your favorite holiday foods. Avoiding these will almost always result in overeating them either. Remember that there are no “good/bad foods” (you can learn more here). Eat, enjoy, and move on, it’s one meal on one day.
Fact or Fiction: You can practice mindfulness at your holiday meal
Fact!
One way to bring some mindfulness to your holiday meal is assessing your hunger before, during, and after your meal. Once you’ve finished your meal, take 10-15 minutes and remove yourself from the dining area. If you’re still hungry, go get more! If you’re not, move on. Remember that seconds will always be there, they aren’t going anywhere. Here’s some tips on mindful eating.
Fact or Fiction: What you eat is the most important part of the holiday
Fiction!
We ALL look forward to that yummy holiday food, it just hits different (hello sweet potato pie!). And it’s normal to be excited about food that we don’t usually consume more than 1-2 times per year. But remember that’s not the only part of the holiday. Try to bring some focus to spending time with your loved ones and reflecting on what you’ve been grateful for this past year. When we’re in the moment and present with our family and friends, the less space we have to let food guilt and thoughts creep in.
Have you ordered your meals for the remainder of Challenge? Check your area here for suppliers here.
For additional nutrition and wellness support, you can always check out F45 Articles for tips on how to improve your nutrition and relationship with food.
