I get the privilege of working with Dietetic Interns from Louisiana Tech University. Quickly after working with Elizabeth Iverson I knew that she was passionate about helping others find freedom in their relationship with food just like I am. She helped me work on a project that I am SUPER excited about coming this Spring 2021 equipping parents to teach their children healthy body image and healthy eating patterns. I also had her write an article about something she feels passionate about and I couldn’t be more pleased with her topic and content. Enjoy this truth from Elizabeth!

The holiday season can be a turbulent time. For many people, a combination of seeing distant family and friends, attending events, and simply preparing for a new year can be exhausting! The stress many of us experience may be amplified even more when you’re worrying about upcoming holiday meals and the abundance of delicious foods that you may only get the chance to have once a year!

I’ve put together a short guide to help alleviate the holiday binge-restrict cycle that many of us struggle with when it comes to holiday meals. Here are three tips to help avoid this cycle and instead focus on enjoying the holidays!

Looove sweet potato pie but only eat it when your Aunt Susan brings it to Thanksgiving, and inevitably end up eating way more than makes you feel your best? Making a certain meal or dish on a more regular basis helps to curb the frantic feeling of “I have to wait 364 days to eat this again, so I better go hard while I can!”. This can lead those who struggle with disordered eating tendencies feeling guilty and can potentially lead to restriction in the days following that meal. Try making it at home on the regular and notice how your relationship with those foods may change!

Don’t forget the tupperware, people! Bringing home leftovers can help your mind overcome that notion of “scarcity” by letting you know that you don’t have to eat more than what makes you feel your best now, because you can have more later! This tip couples well with my previous tip of cooking special meals and dishes at home to help avoid those feelings of scarcity.

Far too often we hear friends and family make statements along the lines of, “I dieted all week so that I could enjoy this meal!”, or “I’m not going to eat anything tomorrow after all this pie!”. No! Restricting before meals, as well as after meals will likely just lead to binging as a result, which leaves us feeling much worse than if we just ate adequate, balanced meals leading up to and following holiday dinner. You deserve to eat, and punishing yourself for future or past episodes of overindulgence is not the way to build a healthy relationship with food.

There you have it! These are just a few ways to avoid leaving holiday functions feeling worse than when you got there while also incorporating some ways to build a healthy relationship with food and your body. Happy holidays!

By Elizabeth Iverson, Dietetic Intern at Louisiana Tech University
Instagram: @Liz.Ivy
Email: Elizabethivy7@hotmail.com